Chance Encounters
by XtremeGal87
Summary: IYXMen Crossover. Kagome and Inuyasha get accidentally transported to the XMen's front yard and can't get home. Nightmares reveal enemies and bring Kagome and Inuyasha closer simultaneously. What will happen? InuKag. Hints of others: Jott, Romy, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** First off, I wrote this somewhere around a year ago, but I did my best to make it good. And if anyone missed the part that said "Inuyahsa/X-Men Crossover"; now you know. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't read this. Also, I sort of randomly picked some favorite X-Men, so this doesn't take place in any specific part in the comics, ok? That said, I hope y'all enjoy this story; please don't flame me, I'm sensitive!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha or the X-Men...sniffsniff, isn't that depressing?

**Chance Encounters**

"I can't believe you, Inuyasha! I'm going home, don't come for me, I'll come back when I'm ready!" Kagome shouted in anger. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kaede watched from a distance as the future-born miko and stubborn half-demon got in yet another fight.

"You wanna leave, wench? Fine, be my guest! Why the hell should I give a damn?" Inuyasha yelled in frustration, realizing too late that his last comment would definitely get him into trouble. And indeed it did. The others watched as Kagome stepped onto the edge of the well, backpack on shoulder, and yelled, "SIT BOY!" before jumping down the well to her time.

"Very smooth, Inuyasha. Tell me, what started this particular argument between yourself and our dear Kagome?" Miroku asked curiously.

"She said she had to go home to study for one of those 'exam' things again, I told her we should be out lookin' for more jewel shards, and then she started cryin' some nonsense about her bein' nothin' but a damn 'shard detector' and it kinda took off from there. That wench is way too damned emotional sometimes!" Inuyasha explained as he climbed to his feet from the small dent that last 'sit' made.

"I don't suppose you've had any run-ins with Kikyo lately? You know as well as the rest of us that that tends to put her in a foul mood." Miroku questioned. Sango, Shippo, and Kaede watched as the stubborn half-demon known as Inuyasha erupted immediately.

"This ain't got nothin' to do with Kikyo, dammitt! I haven't seen Kikyo in over a damned month, ok? I don't know why Kagome's actin' like this!"

"Inuyasha," Kaede interrupted, possibly saving the lecherous monk's life, "why don't ye go apologize to Kagome? Or at least ask her if something is wrong. But, I implore ye, ask nicely. Do not raise your voice. Ye'll only anger her more if ye do."

"Fine, if it'll get you pests off my back, I'll go." Inuyasha decided, using them as an excuse to check up on the woman he not-so-secretly loved. Lately it seemed the only person who hadn't figured it out was Kagome herself. So, with glare at his friends, he leapt into the well.

* * *

At about that time, in Salem Center, New York, a young woman around 18 years of age with a bright yellow trench coat and pink sunglasses was roller-blading around the property of her home, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. She was also wearing headphones, and not paying too much attention to her surroundings, as she was listening to music. Her name is Jubilation Lee, but everyone, friends and enemies alike, calls her Jubilee. Or another variation thereof.

As Jubilee turned a corner and decided to test her 'off-road skills' by going onto the grass, she failed to notice a blue light in the sky maybe a foot above her head. That is, until a 17 year-old Japanese girl in a green and white school girl's uniform landed in front of her. The girl was out cold.

"Oh my God! Where'd she come from?" Jubilee cried in shock as she crashed on her rear as a result of stopping quickly enough to avoid skating over the girl. _I should probably go inside to get someone, in case this is some sort of trap. But, what if she's being chased, and I take too long looking for someone? JEEZ-LOUEEZE just go inside an' holler for Wolvie. He'll be out in a flash, and that way he can't yell at me for puttin' myself in danger if this is a trap. Good call, Lee! _That decision made, Jubilee glanced up to make sure no one else was falling from the sky above her head, and skated off. Before rounding the corner, she decided to check the skies one final time, just to be safe, and let out a high-pitched (if short-lived) squeal when a person with long, silver hair, wearing red, fell. He landed not 10 feet from the Japanese girl.

"Ok, that's it, I'm definitely getting Wolvie!" Jubilee said to herself, before turning and skating into the mansion, through the open front doors. That's when she realized that if they were open, then she would surely get caught wearing roller-blades in the house. Of course, she was right.

"Jubilee, sugah, ya'll know you're not supposed to wear those thangs in the house. Ya'll're just lucky I ain't Scott or Professor X for that matter." the X-Man known as Rogue drawled in the thick southern accent that earned her the nickname 'Southern Belle'.

"Yeah, yeah, Rogue, I know. Where's Wolvie, I kinda need to talk to him."

"Well, then start talkin' kid, I ain't got all day." the 5'3'' Canadian called Wolverine, or Logan if you were a friend, commented, walking in from the elevator that lead down to the basement. Or, in this case, probably the Danger Room.

"Two people just fell outta the sky and landed in the backyard!"

"You sure you ain't just daydreamin' again, Jubes?" Logan asked skeptically.

"Of course I'm sure! Besides, why would I bother trying to lie to you?"

"All right, then lets go take a look, shall we?"

"I'll come, too. You comin' Gambit?" Rogue stated, directing the question to the red-and-black-eyed Cajun who'd followed Wolverine out of the elevator, and was currently leaning lazily against the wall, flipping a few cards between his fingers.

"Of course, chere, any t'ing for you." he replied flirtatiously. Jubilee gagged and led the way.

* * *

Not even a minute later, they were walking up to the two bodies that were lying, face down, on the ground. Leaning over to Rogue, Jubilee whispered, "They almost look dead, don't they?" Rogue nodded silently before following Gambit, who'd gone to check on the girl. Wolverine and Jubilee went and knelt next to the boy in red.

"Oh whoa, I didn't notice those when he fell!" Jubilee whispered, pointing with a mischevious grin to his dog-like ears.

"Did you notice the sword on his waist?" Logan asked curiously, knowing full well she hadn't.

Jubilee's eyes widened, "He has a sword?" Upon seeing Logan's look of 'like you haven't seen a sword before', she added, "I've always liked swords, ok?" He just rolled his eyes and placed his index and middle fingers of one hand on the boy's neck, to check for a pulse. Finding one, he moved to shake the kid's shoulder to try and wake him up.

* * *

Inuyasha groaned as he slowly came to. _What the hell happened? One minute I'm jumping through the well, and then suddenly I'm unconscious? Wait, if jumping through the well's the last thing I remember, then what about-_ "Kagome!" he said suddenly, sitting up quickly and trying to take in his surroundings.

"Take it easy, pal, yer prob'ly gonna be disoriented fer a few minutes. By the way, name's Logan. And you are..?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm Inuyasha. Where the hell am I?" he said warily, not completely certain he could trust these two strangers. That's when the wind shifted, and Kagome's scent drifted towards him. His eyes widened slightly, and he spun around quickly so he could see her. When his eyes landed on her, she was still unconscious, and a man was kneeling next to her, with his hand on her shoulder. His fists clenched as he stood and ran over to them. Dropping to his knees on the other side of Kagome, he growled, "What the hell'd you do to her!"

"Gambit did not'ing, mon ami, she was like dis when we found her." the Cajun replied, lifting his hands in defense.

"Well, ya'll did roll her over so she wasn't layin' on her stomach no more, but that's it." Rogue offered, stepping up to stand by Gambit's side.

Inuyasha glared in warning before shifting his attention to the sleeping miko on the ground in front of him. Reaching over, he gently shook her shoulders to try and wake her. When all she did was moan a little and roll towards him, he tried shaking her harder. Then, her eyebrows narrowed and she started moaning more, and she began to toss. This worried him, so he spoke, hoping it would wake her, or at least calm her. "Kagome! Kagome, get up, damnitt! This ain't no time for sleepin' in, wench!"

"Sooo, I take it he knows her?" Jubilee said sarcastically as she walked up to stand beside Rogue, Wolverine just behind her. Gambit flashed her an appreciative grin, Rogue rolled her eyes, and Logan said, "Now whatever gave ya that impression?"

* * *

Kagome Higurashi was running for her life, through the streets of a foreign city, with only one thought echoing over and over again in her head. _Where's Inuyasha when I really need him? I don't have any arrows, and I have no idea where I am! Inuyasha, help me, please! _She didn't know who was chasing her, and she wasn't sure why, but she did know that if she slowed down, she'd die. She screamed as an energy blast flew right past her, nearly taking off her head. Turning slightly to see how close her shadow-covered pursuer was, she was shocked to see that he'd vanished. Not wanting to risk it, she turned back to keep running. And came face-to-face with him. Even through the shadow, she could see the smirk on his face as he took aim at her heart from point-blank range. She did the only thing she could think of. She screamed Inuyasha's name.

* * *

Inuyasha was really starting to worry, it wasn't like her to sleep this deeply, unless she was possessed, and that thought scared him. He'd all but forgotton that there were four complete strangers standing maybe five feet away, subconsciously deciding that if they pulled something, he'd grab Kagome and run, instead of fighting. His worry only increased when she went slack for a second, and then she started struggling in his grasp and moaning loudly, before falling limp again. "Kagome! Wake up!" he pleaded, shaking her again, and sniffing the air to see if he could smell what was affecting her. He couldn't smell anything off with her scent, and not knowing the normal smell of the air around him, he couldn't figure out if anything was wrong. Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open, unseeing, and she screamed, "INUYASHA!" before her eyes fell closed.

Cringing slightly from the volume, he shook her again, and said, "I'm here Kagome, wake up, I'm right here, you stupid woman." Almost as if hearing him, she moaned a little and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Inu...yasha? Inuyasha, is that you?" she asked groggily, still shaking off her dream.

"Who were you expecting, your mother?" he teased half-heartedly, grinning faintly, and not releasing her from his hold.

Kagome blushed faintly when she realized that he was holding her tightly to his chest, but she was still a little shaken from her nightmare, so she reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that." Though he didn't say anything in return, Kagome knew he was sorry also when he tightened his grip ever so slightly.

When Kagome opened her eyes, she saw four people standing about four feet away, watching them. Her face was instantly beet-red and she pulled back enough to look Inuyasha in the eyes and said, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know, I was hopin' you would." Inuyasha said honestly, pulling Kagome with him as he stood up. Turning to face the four strangers, he stepped habitually in front of Kagome. "All right, where the heck are we?" Behind him, Kagome sighed quietly at his typical way of asking questions.

* * *

Remy LeBeau grinned mischieviously and said, "My, my, y'almost remind me o' Wolverine, mon ami. By de way, I'm Gambit, dis here's Wolverine, but y'can call 'im Logan, dat's Jubilee, and dis belle is Rogue." As he finished, he looped his arm 'casually' around Rogue's shoulders.

Sighing, Rogue flicked his arm off and said, "It's a pleasure to meet ya'll, don' mind him none, he's harmless."

"If not slightly irritating. By the way, welcome to Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning, Salem Center, New York." Jubilee stated bluntly. She was about to continue, when Logan interrupted.

"Why don't we talk about this inside, where it's a little more private."

* * *

A few minutes later, and only after Kagome assured Inuyasha it would be all right to go inside, they were all sitting at the kitchen table. Except for Inuyasha, who chose instead to stand behind Kagome's seat. Once they were all sitting, Jubilee started the conversation. "Ok, well, in case you wanna know how ya got here, I can tell ya. You fell outta the sky. There was like this odd flash, I don't know, didn't really see it, and then, down you fell. You fell first, by, like, a minute." she concluded, pointing at Kagome.

"Um, this may sound a bit odd, but, what year is it?" Kagome asked tentatively, seeking to verify that she knew something about her location. The other four people seated at the table got a questioning look for a second, and then Logan answered.

"2005, why?"

"Uh, just checking." Kagome stated, blushing. Inuyasha "Feh'd" in the background, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Somet'ing buggin' you, mon ami?" Remy asked curiously, placing his cup of hot coffee on the table.

"Don't mind him, he does that a lot."

"Oh yeah, well what if somethin' was buggin' me?" Inuyasha returned aggitatedly.

Kagome sighed, "Well then, speak up, maybe you can help us figure out what's going on."

Inuyasha said nothing for a minute, unsure of whether or not he should say what he was thinking. When he opened his eyes again, Kagome was staring straight at him, silently begging him to speak. "All right, but, first, I have to ask something. Kagome, what the hell's an 'institute'?"

The four X-Men stared at him, not believing what they'd just heard. Kagome choked, fighting the instinct to laugh at the looks she knew the other people seated at the table were giving him. "Sorry, Inuyasha, sometimes, I forget just how much we take for granted, that you've never heard of. An institute is a place where people go for...special education. Institutes are usually for rich or talented people. It's just another type of school."

"Feh, this world of yours is way to damn obssessed with the whole 'school' thing."

"I totally agree!" Jubilee commented loudly.

"Of course you do, Jubes, you'd agree with anything that got ya outta school." Logan stated. Jubilee nodded with a grin.

"Not to sound rude, but, why don' ya'll know what an institute is?" Rogue interrupted, attempting to be polite with her question.

"Oh, well, Inuyasha's not exactly...fromaround here. Let's just say there's a well on my family's property that leads to Feudal Japan. Inuyasha and I are the only ones who can actually go through, though." Kagome explained briefly.

"Um, how many years ago was Feudal Japan?" Jubilee asked tentatively.

"500." Inuyasha stated bluntly. Gambit whistled appreciatively, Wolverine took a large swig of his beer, Jubilee's eyes widened, and Rogue whispered an "oh my".

"Hey, Inuyasha, you said there was something else, didn't you?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, are you feeling ok? You don't usually sleep like that unless you're...possessed...or something."

"Well, I don't feel like I'm possessed, but, then, that doesn't mean I'm not. But..." Kagome responded, trailing off when she realized that she didn't know how to describe the dream she'd had, which still seemed to haunt her.

This reaction got Inuyasha's attention immediately. "'But' what, Kagome? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's just, the dream I had, it's haunting. The only thing I knew was that I was lost, and someone was chasing me. He wanted to kill me. I never got a really good look at him, though. He was always covered in shadow, but he was frightening. He was about to blast me when I woke up." As she recalled the dream, still in perfect detail, she involuntarily shuddered. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, he could tell that it had really shaken her, and something about it bothered him. _This just doesn't smell right. That dream couldn't have been a coincidence. _

* * *

After about another hour of talking, they hadn't really discovered much else. Except that, for some reason, their phone wouldn't reach Japan. Kagome had tried calling home three times, and gotten the operator each time. Inuyasha had also discovered, much to Kagome's horror-filled amusement, that he loved coffee. But, of course, it had to have sugar.

It was about two minute's after he'd finished his last cup (#6) of coffee, that the front door had opened again. Three tall, healthy-looking women walked in, shopping bags in hand. The one on the far right had bright red hair, emerald green eyes, and wore a green summer dress with a gold belt. The recently-married Jean Grey-Summers, codenamed Phoenix, stopped in mid-step when she saw the unexpeted guests.

The woman in the middle that had chocolate skin and snow-white hair to go with her blue eyes, wearing white dress pants and a gold, loose-necked, tank-top was Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm. She stepped slightly in front of the other two women when they stopped.

The third woman had Asian features, dark purple hair, and a red stylized 'J' over her left eye. She was wearing a tight, navy blue mini-skirt and a red, v-necked shirt with loose sleeves that extend to the elbows. Her name: Elizabeth Braddock. Although she goes by Betsy. Her codename is Psylocke.

* * *

The women stopped not five feet into the mansion. Storm stepped slightly forward, and turned to address her teammates. "Will one of you please explain why we have unannounced guests?"

"Come sit, ladies, we'll fill you in on de particulars." Gambit teased.

"Remy LeBeau, will ya knock it off!" Rogue exasperated, lightly smacking him upside the head.

"He'll need a harder hit than that if you want him to listen, Rogue. You of all people should know that." Betsy teased.

"Would somebody mind doing introductions, please?" Jean requested, setting her bags down next to the couch.

Jubilee jumped at the oppurtunity, and began, "Ok, guys," she paused, making sure she had Inuyasha and Kagome's attention, "these are our teammates, Jean Grey-Summers, called Phoenix, Ororo Munroe, called Storm, and Betsy Braddock, called Psylocke. Red, 'Ro, Betts, meet Kagome Higurashi and Inuyasha. He's from Feudal Japan, _and_, he's a half-dog demon! Isn't that totally cool!"

"We get the idea, Jubilation." Betsy interrupted. Jubilee shut her mouth and glared at her superior.

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you, please, make yourselves at home as long as you're here." Ororo replied kindly, extending her hand in greeting. Kagome shook it politely, and they all sat down to once again go over the circumstances.

* * *

Nearly three hours later, the phones still hadn't gone through to Japan, and they were waiting on a call back from the professor and Scott, to know when the jet would be brought back. After nearly three and a half hours of waiting, the phone rang. When the ringing started, Inuyasha's ears twitched noticably and he growled low, finding the sound irritating. Jean got up and answered it. "Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning, this is Jean, how may I help you?"

**"Jean? It's Scott. What's going on?"**

"Scott, we have a slight situation here, and we were wondering when you and Charles will be returning. We need the jet, because the ones we have here can only take up to two, and we haven't got enough fuel to use two mini-jets."

**"Why do you need the BlackBird? What's going on down there, should we be worried?"**

"No, it's not life-or-death, we just have a couple of out-of-place Japanese kids. Well, they're young adults, technically. So far, everything's pretty peaceful, they just happened to fall out of the sky this afternoon, that's all. They are quite...nice. The man's a bit...argumentitive, but he's no worse than Logan."

**"Well, if you're sure there's nothing too serious, then I can assure you the professor and I will be back in under 48 hours, however that's the best I can do. If something changes, I'm sure you know that Peter and Kitty are in Deerfield, and the others are scattered somewhere in the area."**

"Of course, Scott. Well, then we'll see you when you return. Love you, babe."

**"Ok, love you, too, honey." **Scott said, hanging up.

* * *

Hanging up the phone, Jean turned to the group of people in the living room, took a deep breath and said, "Scott and the professor may not be back for anywhere between this evening and 48 hours from now. I'm sorry."

Standing up, Ororo looked around the room, and finally landed on Kagome. "If the two of you could excuse us for just a moment, please?"

"Sure, we'll try not to break anything." Kagome reassured, glancing at Inuyasha, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, we shall return shortly. Friends, if you would please join me in the kitchen a moment." Ororo stated, returning her look to her teammates. They all nodded in assent, stood, and followed their in-house leader into the kitchen.

* * *

Once they were all in the kitchen, Gambit shut the door, and they all turned to look at Storm. Silence reigned for nearly a minute, as she thought of how to best phrase what she was thinking. Then, she spoke. "I trust you all have an opinion on our guests, and their current predicament. Tell me, does anyone have anything they'd like to say about this before I continue?"

"I fer one don't think it's some sorta coincidence that our phone suddenly doesn't make international calls, or that they came when they did. With most o' the team outta town fer the weekend, an' our main mode of transportation with Scott an' Chuck on Muir Island. Someone's after 'em, an' if we give 'em money fer a plane ticket an' send 'em home, they prob'ly won't make it to the airport." Logan stated bluntly. The others nodded in agreement.

"I concur. I also believe that they are in need of our assistance. While I'm certain he's volatile, I believe that Inuyasha will not become a threat, and I'm equally certain that Kagome is an extremely trustworthy young woman. They need our help, and I, for one, desire to give it." Psylocke said calmly. Again, the others nodded.

"Good, I feel the same way. I have come to the conclusion that whatever is to happen will happen before the professor and Cyclops return from their visit to Muir Island. So, will anyone have any objections if I should invite them to stay until we find them a way home?" Storm asked. No one had any objections. That having been decided, they exited the kitchen.

* * *

While they had been inside the kitchen, Inuyasha had grown restless. Not even a minute before the door'd been shut, he'd begun pacing. Kagome had watched him silently at first, then she'd tried to ignore it, and get a little more comfortable on the couch. After having readjusted her position four times, she stood, took a step away from the couch, and then sat on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. Inuyasha was still pacing, muttering what was, no doubt, a string of colorful curses under his breath. Kagome finally decided to speak. "Inuyasha, why are you pacing? You're not going to get anywhere by walking back and forth like that."

Grumbling, Inuyasha stopped his pacing to face her. "While we're stuck here, in your time, Naraku could be gathering more jewel shards, or destroying the damn village. Or, knowing that bastard's mind, he may've even blown up the well by now. And that's assuming he isn't the one who put a spell on it to send us here in the first place!"

Nodding, Kagome said, "Ok, that's true, but Sango and Miroku would never let him destroy the well, you know that, Inuyasha."

"Not willingly, they wouldn't. But he could've sent a diversion, or just waited 'til they left for one reason or another. Besides, face it, do ya really think just Miroku and Sango, even with Kilala, would stand a chance against Naraku?"

"Well, I was kinda trying not to think about that, but they wouldn't be alone, you know." Kagome said, her face paling slightly at the thought of what might happen to her friends should they fight Naraku alone.

"Oh please, we both know Shippo and Kaede wouldn't last a minute in a fight like that. An' who the hell else d'you expect would help?"

"I...I don't know, Inuyasha. I just, I don't want to imagine what would happen if you were right..." Kagome said, letting the sentence trail off as she looked at the carpet beneath her and hugged her knees tighter, her eyes watering at the thought of losing them.

Smelling the salt in the air, Inuyasha realized that she was on the verge of crying, and he really didn't want her to cry because of something he'd said, especially when he didn't really believe it himself. Sighing, he walked over to stand next to Kagome, and then he dropped down and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure they're fine. Miroku's prob'ly the only one close to death, an' I can guarantee it's his own damn fault, too."

Kagome chuckled lightly, the tears vanishing before they'd had the chance to fall. "Thanks, Inuyasha. You're right, I shouldn't have gotten so emotional over a hypothetical scenario."

* * *

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened, and the remaining memebers of the X-Men stepped back into the living room. Before Storm even had the chance to open her mouth to make the offer, Gambit was talking. "Well, don' mind us none if we be interruptin' anyt'in', we can always jus' disappear again, an' leave you two alone." To make matters worse, he finished it off with a wink.

"Real smooth, Cajun. Real smooth." Jubilee sighed behind him. Rogue just shook her head and held up her hands in a surrendering fashion. Logan smirked at the possibilities of what could happen to the flirtatious Cajun.

Inuyasha's head jerked up, his ears twitched, and he instantly released Kagome as he stood. Kagome drew in a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't have to 'sit' him. Surprising to all, Inuyasha suddenly smirked, one fang showing, as he looked over at Kagome and said calmly, "I think Miroku's been reincarnted, an' we were _fortunate_ enough to meet 'im."

Kagome reacted instantly by laughing, wiping her eyes as they watered from all of her laughter while she nodded in agreement, "I can see your point, Inuyasha." she said when she'd finished laughing.

"Gambit would like to know who dis 'Miroku' fella is, if he used t'be me."

"Miroku's a friend of ours from Inuyasha's time. He's a monk, but he has a...wandering hand." Kagome said, trying to put it nicely. She should've known better, as Inuyasha decided to help in the description.

"He's a damn lecher."

Rogue nodded, saying, "I do believe, if someone were dumb enough to make Remy a monk, he'd definitely fit that description."

"Aw chere, you wound me. You know I only have eyes for you." This caused most of the room's occupants to laugh as Rogue rolled her eyes. During the laughter, Kagome looked at Inuyasha and mouthed 'Sango', and he nodded with a grin.

* * *

After the laughter had died down, Ororo spoke up. "I know that the two of you, especially you, Inuyasha, are very out of place here in Salem Center. As we do not currently have a jet to take you home with, you are both welcome to stay here as long as you need. Is that all right with you?"

"It's fine with us, thank you very much, we appreciate it. Right, Inuyasha?"

"Keh."

"Cool, now that that's settled, can somebody please start dinner, I'm starving!" Jubilee stated, reminding everyone that it had been nearly four and a half hours since they'd had anything more than a drink. No one missed the look Inuyasha gave Kagome at Jubilee's mention of food.

Kagome sighed and asked with a smile, "Do you happen to have any ramen? It's Inuyasha's favorite."

"Are you kidding me? I eat it for lunch at least once a week! Which flavor do you like best?"

"He likes beef and chicken the most." Kagome responed at Inuyasha's confused look.

**_To Be Continued..._**(obviously)

**A/N: **I also want to apologize if anyone seems OOC; I tried to make it believable, but that doesn't always happen, y'know? Don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Ok, here's chapter two! I can't really think of anything special to say here, so I won't waste your time! Lol.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Inuyasha and/or X-Men, this wouldn't be a fanfiction, now would it?

**Chance Encounter: Chapter 2**

Almost an hour later, they were ready to eat. With a call of "come an' get it!" from the kitchen, they all filed in. Kagome explained to Inuyasha that he would have to sit at the table like everyone else, while fortunately avoiding the word 'sit' itself. Inuyasha recieved a large bowl of steaming ramen, while everyone else was given spaghetti with meatballs and a salad. About half-way through dinner, after Inuyasha'd finished his fourth bowl of ramen, he reached over and grabbed a meatball out of Kagome's plate.

"Did you want some spaghetti, Inuyasha?" Jean asked curiously, seeing him eyeing Kagome's plate. After a second, he nodded slowly and then watched Jean put his bowl away and fill a plate with some of the noodles covered in red sauce. As it turned out, he liked that, too.

Dinner was mostly quiet, as they were all absorbed in their own thoughts, and worrying about their own problems. At nearly 7:00 p.m., they were done eating. Seeing that everyone'd finished, Jean stood, and said, "Ororo, will you help me with the dishes?"

"Certainly, Jean. Gather the dishes, and I shall get the water ready." Ororo replied as she stood and walked over to the sink. Kagome gasped and Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly when a small rain cloud appeared in Ororo's palm, and began raining in the sink. A similar reaction occured when the dishes suddenly levitated up and over towards the sink that was now half-filled with water.

"Don't be alarmed. Jean and Ororo are mutants, just like the rest of us. We all have different powers, or, in cases like mine, a slightly different way to manifest and use those powers." Betsy stated, noting their reactions and realizing they'd forgotten to tell their new-found friends that they were, indeed, mutants.

"What the hell's a mutant?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.

"A mutant is a person with superhuman, or unnatural, powers. Ororo, for example, can control the weather. That's why she is called Strom. Jean is a telepath/telekinetic. A telepath has the ability to read minds, and communicate through them. A telekinetic has the ability to move objects with her mind." Betsy elaborated. Kagome and Inuyasha nodded in understanding.

"I get it, but what about the rest of you? What can you do?" Inuyasha asked, nicer than usual.

Betsy again spoke, "I am also a telepath, like Jean. I manifest my powers in the form of a psychic dagger on my fists. I'm also able to shadow teleport. Basically, I can transport myself and whoever, or whatever, I chose through shadows. Jubilee has the ability to create fireworks from her hands. Fireworks are loud, bright, multi-colored lights that can cause severe burns, and explode under the right circumstances. Rogue has the ability to absorb people's thoughts and abilities through skin-to-skin contact. She also has extremely enhanced strength and the ability to fly. Gambit has the ability to charge objects with kinetic energy so that it will explode on contact with whatever he desires it to. Wolverine has the ability to heal quickly, and he has enhanced senses. He also has six, foot-long claws, three on each hand. His skeleton is laced with adamantium, which is the most indistructable metal on Earth, and his claws are also covered with this metal. Is there anything you didn't understand?"

Kagome shook her head and looked to Inuyasha, who was still deciding whether or not he needed anything cleared up. Finally, he shook his head, fairly certain he understood what was important. By the time Betsy had explained all of the abilities of the X-Men gathered in the room, Jean and Ororo had finished the dishes.

With that done, everyone stood and journeyed to the living room. That's when Jubilee spoke. "Hey, do either of you have any special powers?"

"Keh. Of course we do. D'ya think my claws and this sword are just for show?" Inuyasha stated with a slightly cocky tone.

"Cool! Can you show us some of your sword-skills!" Jubilee asked excitedly. Kagome's eyes widened as she saw the destructive grin form on Inuyasha's face.

"Inuyasha! Don't you dare draw that sword in here, I do not feel like sleeping outside, in a strange country!"

"Yet you don't have any problems with sleeping outside in a foreign _time era_?"

"It's not like I have that much choice, and besides, it's different. We only have to worry about stray demons, and you and the others can usually sense those!"

"What about bandits? They aren't demon, so Sango an' Miroku can't usually sense them."

"But you can."

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but, why would you have to sleep outside if he drew his sword?" Jubilee asked tentatively.

"Because his sword could level this entire building in one blow if he really wanted to."

"Oohh. Wow, that's totally cool."

"What about you, Kagome? Do you have any special abilities?" Jean asked curiously. The attention then shifted to Kagome, who blushed from all of the pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Well, yes, technically. I have the ability to sense the shards of a powerful jewel known as the Shikon no Tama, or, Sacred Jewel of Four Souls. It...shattered a while ago, and we're searching for the shards so that we can put it back together. I can also shoot Sacred Arrows, but, to do that, I need a bow and arrows."

"That sounds so cool! Hey, maybe we can all do a demonstration in the Danger Room!" Jubilee suggested suddenly, jumping up from her seat on the couch. Only to be dragged down by Wolverine when he grabbed the back of her jacket collar.

"I do not think that is a good idea, Jubilation." Ororo stated solemnly as the young Chinese-American crossed her arms in a fake pout. Ororo continued, "Furthermore, it is late, so I shall show you where you may stay, and then I suggest we all turn in for the night."

* * *

A few minutes later they were all upstairs, and Ororo was leading Kagome and Inuyasha to where they could sleep. Most of the team had already found their own rooms and said good night. Stopping in front of a door, Ororo asked, "Now, would you like to stay in the same room, or separate rooms?"

Kagome blushed slightly, though she wasn't sure why. _Why am I blushing? It's not like Inuyasha and I haven't shared a room together before. I really would prefer it if he were with me, I don't know where I am, and it's slightly unnerving. But, he might want his space, maybe I'll just let him decide. What if I have that dream again? Or one like it? Oh, I don't know if I could handle being alone. Relax Kagome, just let Inuyasha decide. _

Inuyasha wasn't sure he like the idea of leaving Kagome alone overnight, so, he asked a question to help make up his mind. "Is there a tree near the window of whichever room Kagome'd be in?"

"A tree? The nearest tree is at least 50 feet from the window."

_50 feet? That's too far. If something happened, I might not be able to reach Kagome in time. Damn. She better not 'sit' me for this, but there's no way, after all that happened earlier, that I'm lettin' her outta my sight tonight. She might need me, and I intend to be there if she does._ "The same room." Inuyasha decided, his tone leaving no quesion to be asked.

"Very well. You may share this one, then. I do hope you sleep well. Should either of you need anything, simply pull on that chain, and climb that ladder. My room is in the attic, so I'll be just above you. Good night." Ororo said, pulling on the afformentioned chain that was hanging from a spot not 15 feet away from their door, and climbing the ladder. A minute later, it folded back into the ceiling.

* * *

Inuyasha opened the door to his and Kagome's room, taking a quick sniff to reassure himself that it was safe. After Kagome had entered, he shut the door. The room had plain, white, walls, a ceiling fan in the center, and dark blue carpeting. There was one, king-sized, bed against the far wall. The one window had black drapes covering it, and was behind the headboard for the bed. The closet to the left was closed, and the dresser to the right was white with gold trim, and had a phone on the top with an intercom system built in. The bed itself had a dark blue comforter, with a light blue sheet underneath. It also had four, fluffy, pillows in a light blue pillow case. There was a door not five feet to the left of the dresser which led to the bathroom. Inside was a shower with a sliding door and all the other necessities in their proper places.

Kagome sighed and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Inuyasha began to walk around, inspecting everything in the room, and then opened the closet, took a sniff, closed it, and then repeated the process in the bathroom. Having satisfactorily inspected the whole room, he walked over and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed, next to Kagome's feet.

"Inuyasha, why are you on the floor?" Kagome asked, adjusting herself so that she could see him, by laying on her stomach, using her hands to support her head, so that her head was next to Inuyasha's ears.

"'Cause I felt like it, I don't know. Why does it matter?"

"I was just curious." she replied, yawning. Inuyasha's ear twitched ever-so-slightly and he sighed.

"You should try an' get some sleep, wench."

"I know, but, I..."she began, unsure of how to say what she felt.

Inuyasha turned to look at her when she trailed off. His eyebrow arched as he said, "You what?" He watched as she silently folded her arms and laid her head down with her eyes closed, facing Inuyasha. He waited for a minute, which was patient enough for him, before he spoke. "Well? You what?"

Kagome opened her eyes, realizing she hadn't answered him, and said quietly, "I'm afriad to go to sleep. What if I have that dream again? Or one like it? What if, this time, I don't wake up?"

"Oi, Kagome, you will wake up. I promise. An' there ain't nothin' I can do about keepin' that dream from comin' back, but I promise, you'll wake up, an' you'll be fine. But, you have t'promise to tell me if it does come back, ok?"

Kagome nodded, feeling more sleepy by the second, and trying to stifle another yawn. She opened her eyes at the sound of movement, to find herself at eye-level with...the still-sheathed Tetsusaiga. Her face reddened instantly as she sat up.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?"

"Well, I was gonna move you so that you were laying properly, but seein' as you're more awake than I thought, you can do it yourself."

Taking the hint, Kagome righted herself on the bed and scooted to the side, before attempting to make herself more comfortable. "Why the hell'd you move over to the side, wench? You'll roll right off the damn bed!"

"Well, if I didn't, then where would you sleep?"

"On the floor, where else? I've never slept on one of those things before, an' I don't plan on startin' now." Inuyasha said, indicating the mattress.

"You can't sleep on the floor, there's plenty of room on the bed, and it's way more comfortable than the floor anyway."

"I can, and I will. The floor doesn't bother me. Besides, this way you can be more comfortable." the half-demon's eyes widened and his face reddened as realized that he'd said more than he meant to. Fortunatley, Kagome didn't seem to notice.

"Ok, fine, you win. Good night, Inuyasha." she said, already half-asleep.

"'Night, Kagome." Inuyasha said, laying down on the floor next to her side of the bed, and closing his eyes._ I don't know what the hell's goin' on, but it'd better not have anything to do with her dream, 'cause if I ever find the bastard causing 'em, I'll rip him apart, limb by limb. _He thought before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Kagome Higurashi awoke in a dark room, hog-tied to a wooden chair, and gagged with a sock and duct tape. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the blackness of the room, but when they did, she began attempting to look around. Since she could hardly move her head, she couldn't see much. Not that she could see much anyway, thanks to the lack of light in the room. Suddenly, she realized that there were odd, 3-D shapes on the floor. After a minute of staring at one, she realized that it looked, from what she could see, a lot like Psylocke. Scanning the others, she counted six other bodies. The other six X-Men. _Where's Inuyasha? Is he here! INUYASHA!_ She screamed in her thoughts, hoping that he would somehow sense that she needed him.

That was when she saw it, or him, rather. A body, that she instantly recognized as Inuyasha's, hanging from a rope in the ceiling, and bound with a thick, metal, chain. The Tetsusaiga was laying on the ground beneath him, and he himself looked limp. Dead. Even in the pitch black darkness, she could tell, he was gone. This time forever. She'd lost him, whether or not she'd ever had him didn't matter, what mattered was that he was gone. _No! Not Inuyasha! I can't lose him! Please tell me this is just another nightmare, please! INUYASHAAA! NOOOO! _she inwardly screamed, as the tears rolled down her face.

"Don't shed your tears for him, girl. He wouldn't shed any for you. Unrequited love is pointless, really, haven't you learned that yet? Now, I need you alive to deliver a message. I'll send you back to the institute, and when the other X-Men arrive, tell them that their friends have perished. Tell them that if they don't desire to meet the same fate, or if they desire to spare the city of New York from such a fate, then they will surrender to me. And they can do so at sunset tomorrow in the very center of New York City. Tell them to surrender only to Sinister. But, don't tell them anything else. Should one word of anything that you've experienced since awakening on their lawn exit your mouth, I'll kill your family. Should you continue, I'll kill your friends, and, should you still not get the hint, I'll kill those you care about on the other side of the well. Are we clear?"

Kagome nodded; since she still had the gag in her mouth, that was about the only thing she could do. She winced as a black hand reached out and ripped the duct tape, and consequently the sock, too, off of her mouth.

"Any questions?" the man supposedly called Sinister asked in a tone that proved he was aptly named.

Kagome's eyes narrowed, and, though she knew it wasn't a good idea, she asked, "Why did you kill Inuyasha? Why do you need me? Were you the one who transported us to the institute yesterday? Why didn't you just let one of them live to deliver the message!"

Sinister's red eyes flashed dangerously and he leaned in close, so that Kagome could see his pale face, and needle-like teeth, and the red diamond over his third eye. "Why? Because, one of them could have formulated a plan that may actually have worked, and I used you and your friend because that was the deal. You see, I have an acquaintance that desires something you have, and your half-breed friend was just always in the way. Which reminds me, once you've delivered your message, assuming you don't do anything wrong, you'll be transported back here, and I'll be taking your jewel shards. They are, after all, the items my acquaintance desires." he finished with a laugh that sent chills up her spine.

"Who's your acquaintance?" Kagome asked carefully, not 100 sure she wanted to hear the answer. Sinister grinned wickedly and leaned in close to answer her, with a low, frightening whisper.

"The reincarnation of an old friend of yours. The man, or demon, I know, is named Muso."

Kagome's eyes widened in fright at the mention of Muso. _If Muso's a reincarnation of 'an old friend', could he be the reincarnation of Naraku? It makes sense, but how would Muso have Naraku's memories? What does it matter, without Inuyasha, it's only a matter of time until Muso and 'Sinister' win. Oh, Inuyasha, what am I supposed to do without you? _

Sinister leaned in next to her ear while she was lost in thought, and whispered something, the words themselves, she never heard, but the voice, and the tone, she heard all too well. She snapped out of her reverie just in time to feel Sinister's slimy tongue trace her ear. She cringed, and her mind screamed.

* * *

Kagome had been tossing in the bed for nearly three hours, moaning softly and kicking off her sheets at random intervals. Inuyasha was getting worried. Well, in truth, he'd been worried for the past two hours and 50 minutes. By now, she'd rolled to the center of the bed, and she was sweating profusely. Kneeling on the bed, he pulled her close to him and started shaking her by the shoulders, trying to wake her. Suddenly her body tensed and her face contorted as if she were crying and in pain at the same time. Then she started struggling more. "Kagome! Wake up, wench! C'mon, it's just a dream, follow my voice, I know you can hear me, damnit! Kagome, wake up!" he hissed urgently, shaking her more.

* * *

_"Kagome! I know you can hear me, damnit! Kagome!" _Inuyasha's voice echoed in her head. She suddenly went pale and once again Sinister's presence faded into the background as she tried desparately to focus on Inuyasha's voice. _Inuyasha, can you hear me? Are you really there?_ There was a long strip of silence, followed by his voice, less urgent than before, but still there.

_"I'm right here, you crazy woman. Focus on my voice, ok? Everything'll be all right, I promise." _he replied. She could've sworn his voice sounded worried, and tender. But she didn't have the time to worry about it. He was there, and she wasn't going to let him slip away. She could feel Sinister's eyes observing her. She ignored it, focusing instead on where Inuyasha's voice had come from.

* * *

Kagome slowly stopped struggling in Inuyasha's arms, and she moaned lightly, her closed eyes narrowing in concentration, before she slowly opened them. "Inuyasha? Is that...you?"

Inuyasha grinned as he replied, "We had this conversation not too long ago, you know? Of course it's me. That was one intense nightmare, was it the same one?"

"No." she shook her head and curled into his chest before continuing. "It was different, but, it seemed like a continuation dream. I woke up in a dark room, and the bodies of the X-Men, the ones we met today, were all over the floor. They were dead. And then, I saw a body hanging from the roof, wrapped in a chain. It was...you. You were dead, and the Tetsusaiga was on the floor." Kagome interrupted herself when the tears started falling and she couldn't control herself. Her hands clutched onto Inuyasha's haori, and her face was buried in his chest as she cried.

Inuyasha's arms found their way around her waist to hold her while she cried, letting her get it out of her system, no matter how much he hated to see her cry. _That dream must've really shaken her. Could she really be this upset just because she thought I was dead? Keh, yeah, like I could ever mean that much to her. I know she cares, but I'm a half-breed, no one could ever truly love a half-breed. An' it's not like I've been Mr. Nice to her all this time. Damnit! Quit having some damn pity party! Kagome needs you. Worry about how she feels for you later, idiot! _

After a few minutes, Kagome cried herself to sleep in Inuyasha's arms. Realizing that she needed her sleep and that he didn't really want to let her go, he adjusted himself comfortably on the bed, and let her use him as a giant pillow, before slowly drifting off to sleep. Kagome slept peacefully for the rest of the night. So did Inuyasha.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N:** So, did you like it? I hope it's all compartively believable, if you know what I mean. Either way, please R&R! Oh, and remember, please don't flame me. And above all, keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks to all of you who are still reading my story! I hope you like this chapter, too!

**Disclaimer:** Only in my wildest, luckiest, dreams, do I own either Inuyasha or the X-Men.

**Chance Encounters: Chapter 3**

At roughly 8:35 that morning, Kagome woke up slowly. _How late is it? Inuyasha will kill me if I'm late again! Wait, where am I? Since when did I get a red pillow? Wait a sec, is that-! _

"'Bout time you woke up, wench. I've been awake for almost an hour." Inuyasha's rough voice teased as his arm tightened itself around her waist ever-so-slightly.

"Inuyasha? Oh my God, I'm sorry. You could've woken me up or just moved me, I would've understood."

"I know, but you needed me, an' I didn't really mind. How'd you sleep?"

"The second time? Great, actually. I haven't slept that peacefully in a long time. Thanks. And you?"

"Fine." Inuyasha replied, biting back the rest of his statement. A knock on the door interrupted their moment. Before Kagome could move, she felt his grip tighten again, and she could literally feel the growl building up in his chest before she heard it.

"It's ok, Inuyasha, it's probably just one of the X-Men. I'll get it." she said, slightly confused by his behavior, and moving to get up, when she was pulled back down.

"No. I'll get it." he growled, releasing her waist and getting up. He was at the door by the time she was even sitting up.

Inuyasha opened the door aggitatedly, a glare plastered on his face before it was even open. Jean stood on the other side, her arms full of a folded, white, fabric. She didn't seem to mind the glare, most likely used to such early-morning responses from Logan. "Good morning, Inuyasha. I hope I didn't wake either of you?"

"You didn't wake us." he said, calming slightly, but not much.

"Don't be so rude, Inuyasha. Good morning, Jean. Did we miss breakfast?" Kagome said sweetly, trying not to remember the image of her dead on the floor from her dream.

"No, Rogue's just started, it won't be ready until around 9:30. I've brought the two of you some robes, for you to wear after you shower, should you want to, while we wash your clothes. Of course, it's completely optional, we obviously can't force you to shower, or wash your clothes." she said with a smile.

"Oh wow, thanks Jean. I'll definitely take you up on your offer, my uniform's pretty dirty after that fall yesterday." Kagome said thankfully, taking the two robes from Jean.

"Don't mention it, Kagome. There's a laundry shoot in the bathroom, just toss down your dirty clothes, we'll have them ready before breakfast."

"Thanks again," Kagome said as Jean waved and walked away. Kagome shut the door and turned around to see Inuyasha with a weird look on his face.

"What?" she asked, unsure of why he looked so confused. He said nothing for a minute, then he walked up, grabbed one of the robes, and said:

"What're these, what's a shower, and what the hell's a 'laundry shoot'?"

Kagome stiffled a giggle at the questions, knowing they were legitamite questions for him to ask. "These are robes. They're just a big piece of white fabric that you wear after bathing, before getting dressed. Kind of like a kimono. A shower is a modern-day method of bathing. I'll show you in a minute. A laundry shoot is a...tunnel that runs inside of the walls of a house and you throw your dirty clothes down it, and they end up in the room where they get cleaned. We don't have one in my house, they aren't that common any more, really."

Inuyasha nodded slowly in understanding. "Are you going to use the 'shower' thing?"

"Yeah, I really need one. I'll show you how to work it after I'm done if you want to use it." she offered. Again, he nodded. Kagome turned and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

About 20 minutes later, Inuyasha heard the water turn off, and a minute later the door opened and Kagome stepped out. In nothing but a white, cotton, robe with a belt tied around her waist. Her hair was still wet, and it was hanging down around her shoulders. Inuyasha couldn't breathe. _She looks...amazing. Damnit to hell! I didn't think she'd look so...beautiful. Damn, control yourself, you have to control yourself. Breathe, damnit! _

"Inuyasha, you ok?" Kagome asked, noticing his stare. He quickly looked away and muttered a "yeah". "Well, did you want to take a shower?"

When he nodded, Kagome turned to lead him back into the bathroom, and instructed him on how to use the shower. She then showed him the laundry shoot, should he decide to use it, and exited the bathroom, being sure to leave the robe on the counter.

* * *

Four times in the next 15 minutes Kagome found herself almost walking into the bathroom for various reasons. The first time she heard a loud, dangerous, string of curse words coming from within the room, but she ignored it. The second time she had her hand on the door knob before she knew what she was doing, because of a loud 'thud' from inside the shower. When she'd called to him, he'd assured her that he was fine. Another round of curses a few minutes later was followed shortly by a loud shout of "IRON-" "INUYASHA, NO!" Fortunately, he obeyed.

When Inuyasha stepped out of the bathroom, he was wearing his fire-rat robes. "Inuyasha, why didn't you send your clothes down the laundry shoot? Don't you want them to be cleaned?"

"Yeah, well, I can do it myself when we get back home. What bastard invented that 'soap' stuff?"

Kagome couldn't control herself, she started laughing instantly at his question. "I...have...no...idea!" she said between laughs. Inuyasha sighed and shook his head to dry his hair. Kagome shrieked as she was showered with the water from his hair. Her arms flew up to cover her face. "Inuyasha! You're soaking me!" Any anger she'd hoped to put into her voice failed to be noticed as she laughed happily. She failed to see his big smile at her reaction. _Gods I love her. Why the hell can't I tell her? She's so damn beautiful, especially when she laughs like that. And they say I don't have any self control, keh, shows what they know. If I had no self control, lets just say I'd know by now whether or not she feels the same way. An' if she doesn't, I'd probably have a broken back, and a brand-new rosary, seein' as how she'd have probably broke the other one. _

Kagome sat down on the egde of the bed and sighed. "Did I ever finish telling you about the nightmare, Inuyasha?"

This got his attention back where it belonged, and he shook his head as he sat down next to her. "No, do you think you want to now?"

"'Want to'? No. But, I think I should, because I think it's important."

"But, if it's important, shouldn't you wait 'til breakfast?"

"I don't really want to tell a bunch of people I barely know about a dream where they were all dead. I was, kind of, hoping you could help me tell them, if I need it."

"Sure. Now talk."

"Where did I leave off?"

"You saw me dead."

"Oh, right. Well,..." Kagome began, telling him about the dream, which, of course, she remembered in detail.

* * *

Kagome had her knees pulled up to her chest when she finished, and tears in her eyes from the memory, and she shivered as she remembered the feeling of Sinister's tongue on her ear. Inuyasha was audibly growling by the time she was done telling him about her dream. When she shivered for the third time, Inuyasha pulled her close to him to comfort her. She didn't resist him in the slightest. "It's gonna be ok, Kagome. We'll figure out what's goin' on, and I promise I'll take care of it. If this Sinister guy is real, I'll rip him apart. And don't worry about Muso. That bastard won't get near you, in any form, especially if he is reincarnated."

"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly, feeling the tension flee from her body as he held her.

Their moment was again shattered when a knock sounded at the door. Grumbling, Inuyasha released Kagome and stalked to the door, while Kagome followed quietly behind him, her eyes on the floor. When Inuyasha yanked open the door, he wasn't at all surprised to see Jubilee standing there, with Kagome's school uniform in her hands. "Here ya go, Kagome. Oh, and breakfast'll be ready in five minutes, you'll have to hurry if you want anything. Rogue cooked an old-fashioned southern thing, and Gambit's already trying to call dibs. Anyway, see ya in a few!" she said, before she took off down the hall.

Kagome changed in the bathroom while Inuyasha waited near the open bedroom door, his eyes never leaving the bathroom door. She came out two minutes later, having tossed the one used robe down the shoot. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Inuyasha still in the room. "I thought you'd be downstairs getting food. Why'd you stay?"

"To wait for you, why the hell else?" his angry facade was his way of hiding his worry, but Kagome knew that he cared, though she had no idea how much. She smiled in thanks, not in the mood to argue with him.

* * *

Nearly two hours later, they'd all eaten breakfast, and Kagome had just finished her tale. The X-Men said nothing for a minute. There had been a few moments when Inuyasha had almost had to intervene for the sake of her emotional well-being. And he'd been unable to supress the growl when she got to the parts about Muso and Sinister's...ear fettish. Finally, after nearly two minutes of silence, Jean spoke.

"Kagome, have you ever met Sinister before?"

"N-No, I've never even heard of him before. Not until last night. Do you know him?"

"Yes. He's an old enemy of the X-Men's. But we've never heard of anyone by the name of Muso. Have you?"

"Yeah. But, he's supposed to be dead."

"An' so am I. That doesn't mean much when Naraku's involved, you know that." Inuyasha said bluntly.

Kagome sighed. "I know that, Inuyasha."

Suddenly, Inuyasha's head tilted up, and he sniffed the air. Then he growled lowly for a minute before standing and heading over to the door that lead outside from the kitchen and throwing it open. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

"There's a wolf nearby."

"A wolf? That's odd, we don't usually get wolves around here." Jubilee stated. Rogue nodded her agreement, even as Logan stood and walked over towards the doorway. "Wolvie? Are there really wolves out there?" Jubilee asked quietly.

"Smells similar, but, somethin's...different about it."

"'Different' how?" Betsy questioned, placing her coffee cup in the sink.

"Demon. Wolf demon. An' there're two." Inuyasha stated, his hand resting on the hilt of his Tetsusaiga.

"Two wolf demons? Inuyasha, do you recognize their scents?" Kagome questioned, not sure whether or not she wanted to see that particular 'friendly-face' at the moment, considering their predicament.

"Yeah. Both of 'em. But what the hell's that damn flea-bag doing here? An' why's he hangin' out with Ayame?"

"Kouga _and_ Ayame? In America? That surprises me. Inuyasha, why're they still...around?"

"They're full-demons, Kagome, they're immortal. As long as no one kills 'em, they're here to stay."

"Ok, who're you guys talking about? What demons?" Jubilee asked, feeling very out-of-the-loop.

"Kouga and Ayame are wolf demons from the Feudal Era. Inuyasha and Kouga don't really...get along too well. Kouga decided that he was in love with me, and Inuyasha gets jealous when-" Kagome began, only to be interrupted.

"I DO NOT GET JEALOUS!" Inuyasha shouted, spinning around to face her. Kagome sighed and shook her head.

"So, then, what do _you_ call it, Mutt Face?" Kouga's voice asked, as he appeared about 10 feet away from the door. Ayame appeared a moment later, shaking her head, her red hair flying with the motion. Neither of them had aged much since the Feudal Age of Japan. Inuyasha spun once again, now facing the wolves.

"What the hell're you doin' here, Flea-Bag?" Inuyasha growled, his hand resting, again, over Tetsusaiga.

"I could ask you the same question, seeing as how you're supposed to be in Japan. Caught wind of yer scents when we were passin' through town. How're you, Kagome?" Kouga asked, ignoring Inuyasha and stepping into the doorway before two growls, only one of which he was expecting, greeted him.

"Uh, I'm fine, thanks. Inuyasha, you don't really need to growl, do you?" Kagome said, attempting to reason with him.

"Hey Bub, step back, I don't wanna have ta force ya." Logan warned, blocking Kouga's entrance.

"Logan, perhaps you could try being a bit more gentle with him?" Ororo suggested in vain.

"Kouga! What're you doing, inviting yourself into someone else's home? Get your butt back out here!" Ayame lectured, pulling him none-to-gently back outside. Then, she turned towards Inuyasha and Kagome. "Hey, sorry about him. Manners are hard to teach after all those centuries of not needing them. Uh, Kagome, you seem...younger, what are we missing?"

"I'm seventeen, how old am I _supposed_ to be?"

"Seventeen!" Kouga and Ayame stated simultaneously. Glancing at each other, they nodded once, and Koga spoke. "Nevermind us, we were just passing through. See ya around, Mutt!" With that, they both turned and sped off, leaving dust in their wake. Like always.

* * *

"Oooookkaaayyyy, that was odd. Who were they?" Jubilee asked the moment Kouga and Ayame were gone. Behind her, Rogue and Betsy just shook their heads, all too used to her blunt way of asking things.

"They're some..._friends_ of ours from Feudal Japan. Or, rather, their older selves. Inuyasha and Kouga don't actually get along very well..." Kagome's voice trailed as she looked away, feeling the half-demon's eyes watching her intently from the still-open doorway.

"Ah get it. That 'Kouga' fella had a thing for ya 500 years ago, so Inuyasha don't like him none, even though it seemed to me that the other guy was pretty over it." Rogue stated, placing one hand on her hip and barely suppressing her satisfied grin.

"Keh." Inuyasha replied, before walking outside and towards the trees that separated the forest from the institute. A moment later he had disappeared into their foliage.

"Well, he took that well, dontcha think?" Jubilee asked, her own grin spreading across her face. Kagome just shook her head and sighed, sitting back down in the chair she'd only just vacated.

"This is so typical. He'll stay up there, sulking, until something needs killing, or until I try talking to him. Which would probably start an argument."

"He's a pretty argumentative guy, then?" Jubilee commented, glancing at Logan without thinking as she said this.

"Oh yeah."

"Well, let's ignore him for a while, then. I'll give ya the 'grand tour' of the place. Well, what you haven't already seen, anyway."

* * *

After twenty minutes of touring the rest of the mansion, Jubilee led her to the bottom level. The Danger Room. "Ok, so, behind these doors is the room we call the 'Danger Room'. It's a place where we get to practice using our powers by fighting realistic holograms. I know it sounds kinda hokey, but it works pretty well. You can program literally anything you can think up, and it'll create it. We also use it for a gym or whatever. If we go up this staircase over here," Jubilee paused, indicating the staircase just off to their right before heading up it, "we enter the Control Room. This is where you can manually program your 'workout' or just watch whoever's using the Danger Room while you're up here. Oh! It looks like Gambit and Wolvie are using it, come on, ya gotta see this!" She said, grabbing Kagome by the arm and dragging her over to the large windows so they could watch the fight going on below them.

"Um, are these windows breakable?" Kagome asked tentatively.

"Nope. That would be kinda stupid, don't you think? They're way beyond bullet-proof."

"Ok, just checking. Wow, I didn't know this kind of technology existed."

"Um, well, it doesn't, actually. Y'see, we got it from some alien friends of ours. I know, that's pretty weird, but, we've met _a lot_ of aliens. Professor X is actually sorta romantically involved with one. I don't know, that's a hard relationship to explain. Anyway, they have _waaayyy_ better technology than us, so, they lent us some. Pretty cool, huh?"

* * *

About another ten minutes later, Gambit and Wolverine were finally done and the Danger Room deactivated automatically. Logan looked up towards the control panel and smirked. "Enjoyin' the show, Jubes?"

"You know it, Wolvie! I'm gonna show Kagome the outside area next, wanna come with?"

"Maybe I'll join half-way through. Got a call to make."

"Ok, cool." A moment later, as the men exited the room, the girls met them at the foot of the stairs. Together they walked to the elevator and took it back up to the living room, where Gambit headed off towards the game room with a grin and Logan headed upstairs, most likely to his room.

"C'mon, Kagome, I'll show you the lake. You'll love it!" She stated, dragging her new friend out the front doors and cutting across the lawn. Kagome was trying her best to keep up, laughing at the same time behind her. As they were headed towards the lake, they passed a small rock formation where Betsy was meditating. Kagome slowed and called to Jubilee to wait a moment.

"Betsy, do you know if Inuyasha's come down yet?"

"Last I checked, he was still sulking in the tree."

"Ok, thanks." She said, shaking her head and continuing to follow Jubilee.

* * *

A short while later, they had found Breakstone Lake. "Wow. It's beautiful. You're so lucky, having a lake on your property."

"I know, it's a lot of fun. We usually spend half the summer out here. Especially when Bobby's not around." Jubilee stated, plopping down next to the lake.

"'Bobby'?"

"Yeah, Bobby Drake. His codename's Iceman. Ice is his power. He's a major help during the summer."

"I'll bet." Kagome agreed, laughing with Jubilee as she sat down next to her.

"So, how long d'you think your friend'll sulk up there?" Jubilee asked after a few minutes of silence. Kagome sighed and took a few moments before answering.

"It depends. He could sulk until dinner, if he's upset enough, but-" She never finished that sentence.

"I _don't_ sulk! An' I'll stay up here 'til I feel like comin' down, so deal with it!" Inuyasha's voice snapped argumentatively from a nearby tree.

"Inuyasha! How long've you been up there, spying on us?"

"Who said I was spyin' on you? How many times do I have to tell you, _I ain't interested in spying on you!_ Get that through your head!"

"Don't you lecture me, Mister! You're the one who couldn't handle my explaining Kouga to the people who've been nice enough to help us while we're trapped here!"

"Hey, we wouldn't even _be_ in this situation if you hadn't gotten mad at me _for no good reason_ and insisted on goin' home! That makes this _entirely_ your fault!"

"Oh boy, them's fightin' words." Jubilee muttered, watching with amused interest as Kagome stood and turned in the direction Inuyasha's voice was coming from.

"_My_ fault? It's not my fault, you jerk! You're the one who couldn't keep his mouth shut! If you hadn't said those things, I never would've been upset enough to want to _go_ home!"

"So you're blaming _me_ for all this? Get real, wench, I didn't do a damn thing to cause this, an' you know it!"

* * *

At this point, Jubilee was trying not to laugh; what she didn't know was that it was about to get a lot funnier. And there was about to be another witness, because right then, Logan walked up. Of course, he'd been able to hear most of the argument. He just wanted to _see _it. So, it seemed, did Gambit.

"What dey arguin' about, _petite_?"

"Who's fault their 'situation' is. Well, right now, anyway. Originally it was that he does/doesn't sulk. It's been progressing rapidly since that."

* * *

"What did you just call me?" Kagome asked in a dangerous voice that, as usual, Inuyasha missed entirely.

"You heard me, _wench_! An' it's _still_ your fault, too!"

"It is _not_ my fault, now get down here!"

"No. I'm gonna stay up here until I feel like comin' down, so deal with it. And it _is_ your fault."

"'Deal with it'? I don't think so. It's not my fault, and I'm not going to say that again, now stop being a jerk and come down!"

"Nothin' doin', wench." It never even occurred to him that his fate hadn't yet been sealed before he'd said that.

"That does it. Inuyasha, _SIT_ boy!" She commanded, hands fisted on her hips and an angry glare in her eyes. With a 'hmph', she spun around, crossed her arms, and tilted her chin up a fraction of an inch. _He's such a jerk sometimes!_

* * *

Jubilee, Remy, and Logan watched in amused shock as Inuyasha let out a sound best described as a wimper and then plummeted, face-first, into the ground. From a good ten feet above it. And he made a nice two foot deep hole, too. Logan let out a low whistle and noted with a hint of amusement that Gambit had taken a subconscious step backwards. Jubilee was trying, and failing, to stifle her laughter. Only Logan could make sense of the jumbled words that Inuyasha was muttering from his highly unflattering position. He figured everyone was safer that way, too.

* * *

"Dammit, Kagome, why the hell'd you do that!" Inuyasha grumbled as he managed to pull himself to his feet. When she didn't respond, he took an angry step forward and reached to grab hold of her shoulder to spin her around.

"Don't! I'm still mad at you, Pal, so you'd better watch it."

"Mad at me for _what_! It ain't like this is the worst argument we've ever had or somethin'!" He stepped backwards, much like Gambit had, when she spun back around.

"I'm aware of that! And, honestly, it's not the argument, so much as the _fact_ that we _argued_." At his puzzled look, she elaborated. "We're in an unusual situation; we have no idea when, or even if, whoever brought us here is going to appear, and you're busy getting angry that _Kouga_ showed up! Then, once you were over that, you intentionally picked a fight with me, for _no reason_! That's why I'm angry."

"C'mon, Kagome, it ain't like you've never picked fights with me! Besides, I wouldn't have let anything happen to you!" Behind him, Jubilee shook her head.

"SIT boy! Ugh! You're such a _jerk_ sometimes!" She muttered, turning again and beginning to walk around to another part of the lake.

"I think you need a new argument, bub. Yours ain't workin'." Logan stated as Inuyasha slowly climbed out of his new hole.

"Tell me, _mon ami_, how does she do dat?"

"Do what?" Inuyasha asked, not really paying attention, as he watched Kagome sit on a different part of the lake shore.

"Duh, make you eat dirt, what else?" Jubilee rephrased. Inuyasha 'keh'd' and walked away, towards the young priestess. Jubilee was about to open her mouth at being shuned so rudely when Logan's hand fell onto her shoulder and he shook his head. Reluctantly, she shut her mouth and watched in silence.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N:** Before I forget, if at some point, Kouga is spelled _Koga_, it's because I originally typed it up that way, and attempted to go thru and change it. So I may've missed one or two. Again, I hope you liked it! Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Chapter four! Yay! So, how're you all liking this story so far? I hope this doesn't disappoint! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I'd be a mega-millionare (if not billionare) if I owned Inuyasha and X-Men...and I'm not, so obviously, I don't...seriously, people. Lol.

**Chance Encounters: Chapter 4**

Kagome sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, sighing deeply. _Why does he do that? There was no reason for any of that argument. Ugh, I'll never understand him. Sometimes, I swear, if I didn't love him so much, I'd just hand over what we've collected so far and go home for good. Of course, that's not gonna happen. I'll forgive him, we both know it. Well, he _should_ know it, at least. But, given the situation, he shouldn't have started an argument that didn't have to happen. I know he's confused and worried about what's going to happen, but, there're better ways to handle it. I suppose I could've handled it better, too, though. Of course, if I tell him, he'll never let me hear the end of it. Oh God, I'm gonna cry, aren't I? Come on, Kagome, don't cry! You're stronger than that! _Her mind began wandering in an effort to distract herself from what was going on currently, and it instantly flashed back to the dreams she'd had recently. Try as she might, she couldn't prevent the image of Inuyasha's dead body hanging limply from the ceiling, the blood still dripping off of his clawed fingertips. That was all it took to break her restraint. Without thinking, she stood and ran directly to the half demon that was slowly approaching her.

* * *

Inuyasha paused when the scent of her tears reached his nose, fearing another 'sit' command was about to come. After a moment, he continued towards her. When she stood and ran towards him, he stopped again, thoroughly confused. It took two seconds for her to reach him, and when she did, she clutched his haori tightly, burying her face in it. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her waist tightly, holding her close to him, and he gently nuzzled the side of her face in an effort to comfort her. After a moment, her words drifted up to him.

"I'm scared, Inuyasha. I'm afraid about what might happen before we get back home. What if-what if my dreams come true? What-what if you..."

"I won't. I promise you, Kagome, I'm not goin' anywhere. I'll be here to protect you the entire time; no one's gonna change that."

"I'd rather not take the chance. I just wanna go _home_."

"Like it or not, we'll prob'ly have to go back to chasin' Naraku once this is over; no time for you to go to 'school'." Kagome smiled a bit, though he couldn't see it.

"No, Inuyasha. Not the shrine; your era. I want to go back and see our friends."

"Well, yeah, but you said 'home'."

"I know, but your era...that's-that's what I was talking about." _Now probably isn't the time to get into 'Feudal Japan feels more like home than my era; mainly because you're there, and you know what they say 'home is where the heart is', hehehehe, yeah, that'd go over well._

"Yeah, I get it." _There was more to that, but now prob'ly ain't the time to get into that. Least I know that she thinks my era's her home, too. Wonder if she'll ever tell me why? Keh, she spends enough time there-focus, dammit! _He thought, mentally shaking his head at himself and inhaling Kagome's scent, in a misguided effort to clear his mind. Of course, it didn't really work.

* * *

After a couple of minutes of just clinging to him, Kagome was finally able to get her emotions under control again. Releasing her grip on his shirt, she pushed back a bit, inwardly wishing she didn't have to, and smiled up at him, the remnants of tears in her eyes making them sparkle more. "Thanks, Inuyasha. I guess I needed that. Sorry about before." As she expected, he nodded once and let go of her, saying "Keh. Don't mention it, wench." Of course, what she didn't know was that he didn't want to release her any more than she wanted him to. Of course, Inuyasha, being in his typical mood after an argument/crying session with Kagome, he wasn't quite willing to have an audience.

Turning around, he glared aggitatedly at the gathered X-Men. "Oi, what're you lookin' at? Can't a guy get a bit o' privacy?" Behind him, Kagome sighed and shook her head, a small smile on her face. Not feeling like another argument, she grabbed hold of his hand and began walking towards their hosts. As she'd suspected, Inuyasha shut up the moment her hand took hold of his.

"Sorry about the drama; I guess all this stress is getting to me." Kagome offered by way of explanation.

"'S ok. I have a question, though, since he didn't answer when I asked. How do you do that? Y'know, make him eat dirt?"

Kagome giggled a bit at Jubilee's definition of the subjugation spell's effect on Inuyasha. Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms, waiting to see how she'd explain that, and hoping it didn't involve a demonstration. "Well, it's kind of an...interesting story, actually."

"'Interesting'? Who woulda guessed you were so violent." Inuyasha teased, moving to lean against a tree while she talked.

At precisely that moment, Betsy and Rogue appeared, curious as to why they'd been out by the lake so long. "Howdy ya'll, what's up?"

"You be just in time for story time, _chere_. Y'ought to see what de _petite_ can do to de boy."

"Keh. Keep dreamin', Pal."

"Ignore them. So? How do you do it?"

"It all started the day I fell through the well..."

* * *

Nearly ten minutes later, Kagome had finished her tale, barely managing to avoid using the word 'sit'. Jubilee and Gambit were out-right laughing, Logan, Betsy, and Rogue were grinning, and Inuyasha was silently relieved. He'd honestly been worried for a moment that she was actually going to sit him. It took them a minute to compose themselves somewhat, and then Betsy spoke up. "Ok, though my imagination gave me a nice image of that, I'd like to see it. Jubilee, do you mind if I borrow the image from your memory?"

"Nope; that was way too good not to share, help yourself." Jubilee replied, her grin returning.

"Ya'll had better share that with me, too, when you're done, sugah." Rogue stated.

"Don't worry, I will." Betsy promised. Then she stepped forward and gently placed the fingertips of her right hand on Jubilee's forehead and shut her eyes. After a couple of seconds, Psylocke's hand returned to her side and she began chuckling slightly. "That is bloody priceless! Here, Rogue." She said, placing her left fingertips on top of Rogue's head, where they were protected by her hair. Rogue was grinning twice as big as before when Betsy was done.

"You're right, priceless! Oh, boy, ah almost feel sorry for ya; that looks kinda painful."

"Keh. I can take it; I ain't built like you humans, y'know." Inuyasha replied, not moving from his place against the tree.

"Ease up, Sugah, ya'll ain't the only one with thick skin after all. That don' mean it don' hurt."

"All right, that's enough everyone. I just got a call from Jean; it's lunch time. If you're hungry, follow me." Betsy stated, turning and walking away from the lake.

"Oh, yeah! I'm starved, lead the way, Betts!" Jubilee called, running to catch up with the purple-haired ninja. The rest of the group fell into place behind them quietly, except for Inuyasha, who had once again decided that trees were the way to travel.

* * *

Lunch consisted of chicken and/or beef sandwiches with chips on the side, while Betsy did the friendly psychic thing and shared Inuyasha's most flattering moments by the lake with Jean and Ororo. Ororo, of course, found it less amusing than the rest of them, but that was to be expected. "Blessed Goddess!" Was all she said as she watched, in her mind's eye, what Jubilee, Logan, and Remy had seen first-hand. Jean chuckled a bit and shook her head as the dishes floated to the sink and her glass of lemonade refilled itself. Right at that moment, the phone rang. Inuyasha growled, as he'd done the first time, and his ears flattened defensively against his head. Jubilee stood to grab it when Betsy's voice stopped her.

"Jubilation, _I'll_ get the phone." Jubilee sat back down, grumbling under her breath, as Betsy caught the phone on the third ring. "Hello? Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning, Betsy speaking?"

**"Betsy? Hey, it's Kitty. Um, is it alright if Peter, Illyana, and I come home early? Like, this evening early?"**

"Of course it's alright, why would you even ask such a question, Katherine?"

**"I just wanted to be sure nothing, y'know, _weird_, was going on, is all. I mean, if for some reason, it would be really inconvenient for us to come back early. Which reminds me, how're things going over there?"**

"Oh, things are fairly typical. We have a couple of unexpected guests; no one you know. You?"

**"About how I expected. Mom isn't in so great a mood; we said 'hi' to all my old college buddies, and now we're ready to come back. We'll probably get back around 8:00 p.m. tonight, just to let you know. What's the deal with your guests?"**

"Well, they fell out of the sky yesterday afternoon. They're from Japan. I'll have Jean fill you both in on the rest when you get here; it'll be simpler that way. Anything else?"

**"Yeah, um, where do you want Illyana to zap us to so they won't see us?"**

"Don't worry about that; we told them who we are. Though, come to think of it...the foot of the stairs might be a good idea. The young man's a bit...jumpy. Not that I can blame him, of course. You'll understand why when you get home. Everything's all right, though, I hope?"

**"Yes, we just got done visiting early is all. Ok, well, I've gotta go; we'll see you at the foot of the stairs at 8:00 p.m., then. Bye!"**

"Good-bye, Katherine. We'll see you when you return." Betsy said, hanging up

* * *

"Kitty and the others are going to be coming home at eight o'clock this evening. I've told them to matieralize by the stairs, so as to avoid startling our guests. Jean, I told Kitty you'd explain the current situation when they got back."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Betsy. Now let's go explain to our new friends that three people will be _appearing_ inside the mansion tonight." Jean stated, setting her glass inside the sink and following Betsy out the kitchen door, where the rest of the group had congregated. Betsy spoke up, since she had taken the call.

"That was Kitty. She and the others are coming home tonight, instead."

"Did she say why? They were not planning on returning until tomorrow evening at the earliest." Ororo commented, instantly worrying about her friends.

"Relax, Ororo, they're fine. They've already visited all of the people they planned on visiting, so they're going to come home. Which leads me to my other point." Betsy paused, turning to face the two mis-placed Japanese teenagers; well, one was a teenager. "Our friends that are coming back this evening won't be returning by taxi or even by plane. One among them, Illyana, has the mutant ability to teleport through the use of what are called 'stepping discs'; they're gold energy-circles, if you will. They will be using those to come home; I've told them to matieralize at the foot of the staircase, so it would be best if you'd avoid the stairs around eight tonight. Is that ok with you?"

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged glances and, after a moment, Kagome spoke. "Yes, that's fine. Thank you for explaining that."

"You're welcome. We'll explain more about our friends when they arrive; that way they'll have the chance to tell you about themselves." Betsy finished, sitting down on one of the sofas next to Jean, who was sitting next to Ororo. Remy and Rogue were seated on one of the two loveseats; Logan and Jubilee on the second couch. Inuyasha and Kagome were occupying the other loveseat. The silence stretched for a few minutes, as everyone contemplated their own lot in life.

* * *

After nearly ten minutes of silence, a high-pitched shriek emitted from the yellow-clad firecracker sitting one seat away from Wolverine. Everyone tensed, and both Logan and Inuyasha growled in response to Jubilee's volume. Suddenly, Jubilee flung herself into Logan's lap pointed a shaky finger at the arm of the couch that she'd been leaning against. "KILL IT! KILL IT!"

"'It'? What're you talkin' about, Sugah?" Rogue asked, moving to stand when Logan shook his head dejectedly.

"A spider. Darlin', after all you've been through, yer afraid of a _spider_? Ya don't scream that loud when ya see Apocalypse 'r someone."

"Get over it! Kill the stupid spider! I _hate_ spiders, ok! They totally creep me out!"

"You'll have to get off o' me if you want me to kill it, Jubes." Logan stated calmly. Jubilee was out of his lap and standing on the other side of the couch in an instant. With a nearly inaudible sigh, he stood and walked over to the side of the couch that she'd been sitting on a moment before. A few seconds later, the spider was dead. "Happy now?" He asked rhetorically as he returned to his seat.

"Yep! Thanks, Wolvie!" Jubilee said as she plopped down beside him. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn't comment on the fact that she was still avoiding the spot she'd previously been sitting in.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." Jean commented with a small chuckle.

* * *

Hours later, after dinner, they were all once again gathered in the over-sized living room. Jubilee had convinced them all to watch a movie, so they were just finishing up Pitch Black when eight o'clock came around. "Man, I _love_ that movie!" Jubilee stated as she ejected the DVD.

"Sugah, _any_ movie with Vin Diesel is worth lovin'." Rogue added confidentally.

"Should Gambit be jealous, _chere_?"

"Hate t'interrupt, ladies an' gents, but they're here." Logan stated, smelling the slight change in the air that occurred a moment before Illyana's stepping disc appeared about a foot above the ground. The group stood and turned to face the newcomers, Kagome and Inuyasha at the back of the group to allow them to reunite. They watched in silent fascination as three people appeared literally out of nowhere.

* * *

"Hey everyone, we're home!" Illyana announced with a grin as her stepping disc disappeared. The young Russian woman had her long, blond hair in a ponytail and was wearing a long, white skirt and a green tank top that said '90 Demon, 10 Devil--100 Attitude' in white lettering.

"Welcome home, friends. How was your trip?" Ororo asked curiously, giving them each a hug.

"As good as could be expected, Ororo. Mom says 'hi', by the way." Kitty replied, returning the hug with a smile. She had her hair down, in curls, and blue jean shorts with a white tank, a pink, short-sleeved, jean-jacket over that. And, of course, Lockheed on her shoulders.

"Our stay was good. Katya made many good friends while in college." Peter commented after Ororo had released him from their hug. He had on a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt.

"What can I say, I've always had good taste in people." Kitty joked, lightly punching him in the arm with a small laugh.

"Kitty tells us that we have guests. So, who's doing intros?" Illyana reminded, looking around the room to get a glimpse of Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Ok, guys, this is Inuyasha and Kagome. They're both from Japan, only - get this - he's from _Feudal Japan_. Y'know, like, 500 years ago. They're kinda stranded here 'til the Prof. brings back the Blackbird." Jubilee introduced, one hand on hip, the other pointing towards the people she was talking about.

"Hi." Kagome said politely.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kitty Pryde, this is my best friend Illyana Rasputin and her older brother, Piotr Rasputin. You can call him Peter, though. Oh, and this little guy is my _other_ best friend, Lockheed. He's an alien dragon, just so you know. Lockheed, say hello." The aforementioned purple dragon flew a few feet away from his 'mistress' and cooed obediently. The X-Men did not miss Inuyasha's subconscious reflex that caused his left hand to twitch a bit.

"Did you say _alien_ dragon? Wow. The only dragons I've ever met have all been back in the feudal era."

"They have dragons back in Feudal Japan? Cool." Jubilee interjected.

"Keh. Of course they do. Demons, too, obviously." Inuyasha commented bluntly.

"Um, are you two mutants or something?" Illyana asked tentatively.

"No, I'm a priestess and Inuyasha's a half-dog-demon."

"Nice. Well, in the spirit of sharing. In addition to being a teleporting mutant, I'm also a demonic sorceress. My codename's Magik; though the demons down in Limbo call me Darkchilde, too." Illyana explained, rocking back on her heals and shoving her hands in her back pockets.

"Oh yeah. My codename's Shadowcat. I can phase through things. Basically that means that I can walk through solid objects, like walls and people." Kitty stated, subconsciously petting Lockheed's snout.

"I am also known as Colossus. I am able to turn my flesh into organic steel. This also increases my strength and involnurability."

"Do you need anything explained?" Jean asked nicely, seeking to make certain that they had understood everything. After a moment, Inuyasha shook his head, as did Kagome.

"So, what did we interrupt?" Illyana asked, plopping down on the couch and reaching for the discarded bowl of half-eaten popcorn.

"Nothing. We just finished watching Pitch Black when you got here." Jubilee stated, stealing a handful of popcorn.

"Hm, too bad we missed it, I love that movie. What's next?"

"I'd like to see the three of you in the professor's study, actually. Would you follow me?" Jean asked, walking towards a door on the far end of the room. Wordlessly, Peter, Illyana, and Kitty followed her into the room. When they got there, Kitty spoke.

"So, what's going on, Jean?"

"You need to be caught up on what, exactly, has been going on here in the past two days. It'd be easiest if you'd just let me show you."

"Go ahead."

* * *

The rest of the group stayed in the living room and politely vetoed Jubilee's next suggestion for a movie, not feeling like watching another movie at that moment. They talked about random things, some more talkative than others. After a few moments, Jean and the others rejoined them in the living room. The conversations continued in various inner groups, always changing, for a while. In the middle of these conversations, Kagome, who'd been talking to Rogue and Betsy, noticed that Inuyasha was being oddly quiet. "Inuyasha, is something the matter, you look kinda tense?"

"It's nothin'."

"Don't give me that. What's wrong?" She pressed, knowing him better than to believe that nothing was wrong when he had that look on his face. He hesitated a moment, not sure of how he should answer. While he decided how to answer, she slid from her seat on the couch to the floor beside him and placed her hand on his arm comfortingly. He sighed inwardly and began as best he could.

"It's just, I have a bad feelin', an' it's been way too quiet today. Nothin' happened. I'd thought that maybe we'd figure this all out by now."

"I understand. But you need to try and relax while you can; if you keep this up, you'll just get angry and there isn't anyone to take your aggressions out on. That said, is there anything else?" She could see the reluctance in his eyes as he obviously struggled with himself to bring up the 'other thing' that was bothering him. He knew she'd probably get upset with him over it. He also knew that he didn't have much of a choice; she'd bug him until he caved, or, more likely, blurted it in an argument; possibly along with things he didn't want to say anytime soon.

"Whenever this guy decides to show himself, we'll have to fight him, right? Well, how the heck're you supposed to fight without your arrows? You'll be defensless, an' you're _already_ on this jerk's hit-list!" He clenched his fists to try to contain his anger at the thoughts running through his head. Kagome's hand slid up to his shoulder and squeezed gently, knowing there wasn't much else she could do to help his anger fade.

_Inuyasha. I know you worry about me; not that I can blame you._ "Thanks, Inuyasha." Then, an idea struck her, though she wasn't sure how well it would go over. _Only one way to find out._ She thought. "Um, excuse me, but, can I ask a favor of you?" She stated loud enough to be heard by the closer X-Men.

"Go ahead." Jean encouraged, turning her attention to the young Japanese woman.

"Well, earlier today, Jubilee showed me a room downstairs where you train yourselves and can just work out your aggressions. I was kind of wondering if, maybe, Inuyasha and I could use it. Would there be any way we could arrange that?" She began to get worried when she noticed Jean hesitate. It took a moment before Jean was able to respond.

"Normally, we wouldn't let our guests utilize the Danger Room. However, I suppose it would be helpful if we knew what each other was capable of. I know we've _told _you what we can do, but that doesn't really amount to much, does it? I tell you what, we'll all go downstairs and take a shot at the Danger Room. Are you up for that?"

"Absolutely. Thank you so much!" Kagome accepted with a smile. Inuyasha gave her a look that reminded her that he had no idea what she was talking about, so she told herself to explain it to him on the way down. She refocused when Jean stood and stepped into the center of the room, next to the coffee table.

"Excuse me, everyone, but it occurs to me that there's something that we need to do." She paused while everyone's attention turned towards her. When she was sure she had all of their attentions, she continued. "It seems that, though we've _explained_ our abilities, we haven't proven our capabilities. Knowing your allies capacity in a fight is crucial to being victorious in a battle. I know we all know this. Also, it seems Inuyasha is in need of a good workout. So, I suggest we all take a trip downstairs to the Danger Room, what do you say?" After a brief pause of consideration by some of the X-Men, they all agreed and then the group moved towards the elevator, which was, in itself, an interesting experience. On their way down, Kagome and a couple of others explained to Inuyasha what the Danger Room was.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N:** Dun-dun-dun! Lol. Yes, it's Danger Room time; it had to happen. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and will read the next one...it's about half-way done now, I believe...R&R and then read some more! Please? Lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Moving right along, now. Not much to say here, so read on!

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I do not own Inuyasha or the X-Men. If that ever changes, you'd hear my scream of happiness; trust me.

**Chance Encounters: Chapter 5**

A few minutes later, they were all gathered in the Control Room, with the exception of Wolverine, who'd opted to give the Danger Room a demonstration run. The 'demonstration run' only lasted a few minutes and it wasn't really very difficult. When he was done, he headed up to the Control Room and leaned against a wall. "Any questions?" He asked rhetorically.

"Inuyasha, Kagome, would you like to go first?" Ororo offered.

"Sure. So, who are we fighting?" Kagome asked.

"_You_ ain't fightin' anyone without a weapon, stupid." Inuyasha interjected.

"Oh, that's easy, the Danger Room can create whatever weapon she wants to use. Now then, you can fight one of our enemies, or we can program the Danger Room for one of yours. Your choice."

"Just give us a couple o' demons to fight. Don't you _dare_ suggest Naraku."

"I wasn't planning to. Demons are fine with me."

* * *

Another five minutes later and Kagome and Inuyasha were in the center of the Danger Room. Suddenly, a quiver full of arrows and a bow appeared strapped to Kagome's shoulder and the steril room gave way to the familiar forested look of the feudal era of Japan. Inuyasha blinked a couple of times to readjust himself to the disconcertingly familiar atmosphere that had just _appeared_ around them. For all intents and purposes, it was _identical_ to the Forest of Inuyasha. He heard Kagome gasp in surprise beside him; a quick glance in her direction told him she was just adjusting to the transformation and not under attack. "C'mon, Kagome, we don't wanna stand here an' wait for them to find _us_. Let's go." he stated, dropping to his knees so she could climb onto his back.

"Ok." She agreed, climbing on obediently. "Ready." She stated once she was properly adjusted. He stood up gracefully and, in one smooth motion, was leaping through the trees. They were both silent, focused on making sure they didn't get ambushed by a hidden demon of some sort.

* * *

They had been traveling for a couple of minutes when the scent of a demon - a familiar demon - reached Inuyasha's sensitive nose. When he landed on a branch, he stopped and took a deep breath, trying to discover which demon it was. Which is when he realized that it wasn't just any demon; and it was coming directly towards them. Cursing under his breath, he leapt back into the air just as the tree they'd been resting on was cut down; along with two others. "Inuyasha, do you recognize-?" Kagome's question was cut off by an arrogant, female voice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Inuyasha and Kagome. Venturing off without your other friends, I see. What a great surprise. Naraku should be pleased to hear what I do to you." Kagura's voice floated down to them shortly before she herself floated into view, resting comfortably on her giant feather.

"_Kagura_!" Kagome breathed, surprised that she was the one they were facing. Beneath her, Inuyasha landed on solid ground and knelt again to allow her off while never taking his eyes off of Kagura.

"Kagome, stay back." he instructed, stepping forward and placing his left hand on the Tetsusaiga.

"You'd best be quick on your feet, Inuyasha, for I don't plan on going easy on you. Dance of blades!" Kagura shouted, swinging her fan towards them as the very same blades that destroyed the tree flew at them. Inuyasha smirked and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga for the first time in at least four days.

"You'll have to do better than that, Kagura!" He called, deflecting the blades. A wind picked up as she landed and her feather disappeared.

"Very well, then." She stated, raising the fan to attack again. Almost instantly, an arrow surrounded in a pink aura cut through her fan, shredding it to pieces. Kagura's attention shifted instinctively to the young priestess standing a little ways off to the side, bow in hand. "Clever move; unforutnately, I have more than one fan at my disposal, Priestess." She spat as another fan, identical to the last one, appeared in her hand and she waved it quickly in Kagome's direction.

"Kagome! Don't just stand there, stupid!" Inuyasha shouted as he grabbed her and jumped out of the way of the attack. He heard her mumble 'sorry' a moment before they landed. Then he heard Kagura laugh.

"How touching. You always have been easily distracted, Inuyasha. Dance of blades!"

"I don't think so, Witch. Wind Scar!" He countered, stepping in front of Kagome and sending his Wind Scar to meet the attack head-on. When the dust settled, he was smirking and Kagome had another arrow positioned in her bow. Kagura looked smug.

"If that's the way you want it, then. I'll just have to up the stakes. _Dance of the Dragon_!" She cried, laughing as she watched the tornadoes appear and spin violently towards her enemies. She smirked in satisfaction as Kagome dove behind Inuyasha for protection. The smirk vanished, however, as the half-breed brought his Tetsusaiga above his head and shouted something that was lost on her ears over the noise.

"_Backlash Wave_!" Inuyasha shouted, his words getting lost in the demonic wind. Tetsusaiga heard him loud and clear, though. When he brought down his sword the wind really picked up and suddenly the demonic twisters were heading straight for their creator. He saw her reach for one of the feathers in her hair, but she never got the chance to escape. Shoving his sword into the ground, he turned slightly and pulled Kagome to him, to shield her from the vicious winds that were getting worse before they got better. She clutched tightly to him, and he returned the gesture.

* * *

A moment later, the wind vanished. Releasing each other, they turned and stared for a moment at the spot where the most powerful of Naraku's remaining incarnations had been standing a moment before. Then Inuyasha walked forward and resheathed his Tetsusaiga. Just then, another demonic scent reached his nose. Three others, to be specific. Growling, he spun around in time to see one of them wrap an arm around Kagome. She, of course, screamed and her bow fell from her grasp. "Kagome! Let her go, bastard!" In response, the demon gave him a grin filled with rotting fangs and leaned closer to her, and Inuyasha could see it's tongue moving to caress her neck. That, of course, he'd _never_ allow. With another dangerous growl he was suddenly in the air, taking advantage of the demon's self-distraction. Flexing his claws, he called, "_Iron reaver soul stealer_!" and then, just as suddenly, the demon's head was separated from his shoulders as both pieces disintegrated. Kagome rolled free and grabbed her bow, turning to thank Inuyasha as two more launched themselves at him. From her angle, she could tell which one he planned to dispose of first, so she notched an arrow and aimed at the other one.

"I don't think so, demon. Hit the mark!" She declared, releasing it. The pink aura engulfed it moments before it obliterated the demon. At the same time, Inuyasha's third victim of the day fell at his feet before disintegrating like the others. Replacing the bow on her shoulder, she smiled at Inuyasha as he locked eyes with her. "Thanks for saving me from that demon, Inuyasha."

"Don't make a big deal about it. He was just a lowly demon, anyway." Crossing the ground that separated them, he lowered his voice a bit and asked, "You're ok, though, right?"

She smiled at him again and nodded her head. "Yes. I'm fine, not even a scratch." Any further comment was forever silenced as the forest around them fell away to reveal the cold steel walls of the Danger Room. Inuyasha's ears flinched when Ororo's voice spoke from above them.

"Excellent performance, friends. Please return to the Control Room and we will begin our demonstration."

* * *

Soon, Inuyasha and Kagome were back in the Control Room and Ororo approached them. "You did wonderfully, my friends. Is there anything that you did not get the opportunity to demonstrate for us?"

"Not really." Inuyasha stated. The others nodded.

"Then make yourselves comfortable; we shall return shortly."

"Yeah, enjoy the show." Jubilee added as she passed them on her way down the stairs. Soon enough Inuyasha and Kagome were alone in the Control Room. They both gathered so they could watch the X-Men in action, curious as to what they were capable of.

* * *

The Danger Room changed again, this time a rocky desert with only a few trees and bushes and no breeze. Just as suddenly, the gathered X-Men had changed outfits, too. Wolverine in blue and yellow spandex with a mask; Storm in black with a lightening-bolt at the top and a cape attached to her wrists and shoulders. Psylocke was in her navy blue uniform complete with the red sash around her waist; Phoenix in the emerald-green and gold costume. Shadowcat in a two-toned blue uniform, the top more like a sweatshirt than spandex, Lockheed on her shoulder. Colossus was in his traditional red-and-gold uniform and had transformed into his armored state, as well; Magik in her New Mutants uniform. Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee were the only ones whose clothes remained the same.

"Everyone on high alert. We cannot afford a surprise attack." Storm commanded, switching effortlessly into leadership role. Together they began walking across the empty desert.

"This reminds me of the time when my only task was to get from one side of the Danger Room to the other." Shadowcat commented, her eyes studying the vast area around them.

"Ah, the good ol' days, eh pun'kin?" Wolverine teased as he inhaled the scents surrounding them.

"Jeeze, 'ro, couldn't you have, like, picked a place with a breeze? Or water? It's _hot_!" Jubilee complained, fanning herself.

"Well perhaps you ought to consider not wearing a _trench-coat_ as part of your uniform." Psylocke stated from ahead of the young woman. That didn't mean she missed Jubilee's mature moment of sticking her tongue out at the ninja. "I saw that, Jubilation."

"Quiet, people, we got company." Wolverine stated, stopping so suddenly that Gambit almost walked into him.

"Watch where you're walkin', _mon ami_."

At that instant, a low growl sounded from off to their right and Sabertooth walked out of the shadow of one of the few trees that surrounded them. "Long time no see, runt." he taunted, flexing his own claws and then launching at his archenemy. Wolverine's reaction was instinctive as he popped his claws and braced himself for the impact. At that moment, the others were distracted by four Sentinels.

"Grreeaaatt, just what I wanted." Jubilee commented sarcastically.

"X-Men, I believe it is time to engage the enemy. Logan, do you require assistance?" Storm offered.

"No." he grunted, blocking a swipe of Creed's claws. The larger feral then proceeded to toss his opponent ten feet away before lunging at him again.

"Wolvie!" Jubilee cried, reacting on instinct and blasting Sabertooth so hard that he flew about twenty feet to the side. Then she ran over to him, ignoring the fact that he'd said he didn't want help. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, Jubes. Y'oughta listen more. I said 'no', not 'yes'."

"You don't listen t'me." She countered. He grumbled something and gave up; this was never a fight he won. He stood and brushed some dirt off before flexing his fists and popping his claws again. Then they waited for Sabertooth to recover; they weren't waiting long.

* * *

While they were fighting Creed, the other X-Men were fighting the sentinels. Storm flew up to be eye level with one and summoned a large bolt of lightening, which effectively destroyed the giant robot. Meanwhile, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Magik triple-teamed another one. Colossus delivered two punchs, one to each leg, and the sentinel collapsed to its knees. Raising a gauntleted hand, it fired a laser at them. Magik used a strategically-placed stepping disc to intercept it, causing it to fire off into the distance behind the fight. Shadowcat took advanatge of the distraction to have Colossus throw her at the robot's chest, where she phased through it and landed gently on the other side. The sentinel collapsed, it's circuits fried. A third sentinel was firing at Phoenix, who kept dodging them easily. Finally, she levitated up and placed the index and middle fingers of both hands on her temple. A moment later, the sentinel was being literally ripped apart from the inside-out. Behind her, Psylocke sat calmly on the ground, meditating. Her powers were, after all, useless against robots. The fourth and final sentinel had taken on Rogue and Gambit. Gambit was running around, nimbly evading its attacks and tossing cards at it. Each explosion slowed it down a bit more, and then he threw a handful all at once, directly at its head. The giant robot stumbled and Rogue swooped in, hit it twice, and the head fell off. The rest of the sentinel collapsed moments later.

With the sentinels done, the X-Men regrouped and turned to watch the other fight. Sabertooth delivered a punch directly to Jubilee's stomach, sending her backwards and to her knees, gasping desparately for breath. Wolverine, of course, didn't like this and imbedded his claws into the larger man's chest. Victor Creed let out a howl of pain and swated the smaller man away, where he landed a few feet from Jubilee. "You ok, Jubes?"

"Y-yeah, just...gimme a minute." she replied, still gasping a bit. He nodded and moved to stand when Creed was on top of them and had Wolverine in a choke-hold almost instantly. "Wolvie!" Jubilee choked, barely dodging Sabertooth's other hand as he swiped at her. Just then, a black spot appeared on the ground in front of him, effectively getting his attention. He grinned a feral grin when he recognized the scent.

"You joinin' in on the fun, Frail?" he taunted, not releasing Logan. When the shadow disappeared, Psylocke was standing in its place.

"I would appreciate it if you'd release him. And don't call me that."

"Make me." He returned, the sick grin widening. The asian ninja shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly, then, suddenly she delivered a hard kick directly to his abdomen. His hand released Logan, who slumped to the ground and rolled away, sucking in air. Creed ignored Jubilee as she ran behind him to get to Logan and instead lunged for Betsy with a roar.

Psylocke effortlessly dodged his attack and kicked him twice more, sending him to his knees. It was all the opening she needed. Stepping around to face him, she brought up her fist so quickly he didn't have the chance to avoid it. The others caught a glimpse of a purple blade on her fist just before it connected with Sabertooth's temple. A moment later, he slumped, unconscious. The others rejoined them, and the Danger Room once again returned to its natural state. Then they headed for the Control Room to see if their friends had any more questions. It didn't take them too long to get there, and when they did, Inuyasha and Kagome were waiting patiently. Or, rather, as patiently as Inuyasha ever did anything.

* * *

Inuyasha was leaning against the far wall, perfect view of both the Danger Room and the doorway to the Control Room. Kagome was sitting in a chair near the control panel so she could see clearly what happened beneath them. She turned to face the door when the X-Men returned. "That was amazing; you guys really work well together." she commented, rising to greet them.

"Thank you for your compliment, Kagome." Ororo accepted. Then she continued. "Do either of you have any questions?"

"I don't think so." Kagome replied as Inuyasha shook his head in agreement. From behind the group gathered at the door, a large yawn could be heard, followed by a sleepy apology coming from Jubilee.

"Don't get me wrong, guys, but I'm totally wiped. Anything else you need me to do?" Jubilee stated after she'd yawned.

"Nah, just go get some sleep, darlin', we'll wake ya if anything happens." Logan declared decisively. She nodded and yawned again, then, with a wave and a smile, she exited the Control Room.

"Y'know, Jubilee's right. It's late an' Ah'm tired. Ah say we all go to bed an' get some sleep; anyone with me?" Rogue drawled, stretching.

"That is an excellent idea. I believe it is time we _all_ retired for the evening." Ororo decided, ushering everyone out the door and then shutting it behind her. It locked with an audible _click _and they all piled, once again, into the elevator.

* * *

When the elevator opened up on the second floor, everyone filed out and bid goodnight to each other before heading towards their separate rooms. Inuyasha followed his nose to the room he and Kagome'd shared the night before; she followed him. He opened the door and took a sniff before letting her inside, and then he shut it behind him. Then he paused, trying to remember how to lock it. Kagome giggled and reached past him and locked it herself. He muttered something unintelligible and followed her to the bed. She plopped none-to-gracefully onto 'her' side and sighed contentedly.

"This bed is so comfortable. I wish the one in _my room_ was this soft." She mumbled to herself, her eyes drifting shut, body relaxing as the day's events took their tole and sleep began to overtake her.

Inuyasha watched silently as she quickly succombed to her exhaustion. _Good. With any luck, she'll sleep peacefully tonight. She needs it. I'll still sleep nearby, just to be safe. Keh; like I'd _leave_ with all that's goin' on._ He thought, sitting down on the floor beside Kagome's side of the bed. He deliberately refused to think about the night before, when he'd ended up holding her all night. Setting the Tetsusaiga beside him, he laid back and crossed his arms under his head, staring at the ceiling. He just wasn't drowsy, so he decided to relax and wait for sleep to come; or just stay up all night and play 'guard dog' again.

* * *

Just as Inuyasha's eyes had begun to drift closed ten minutes later, Kagome gasped loudly and shot up, breathing hard, sweat sliding down her face. Inuyasha was up before she'd drawn her second ragged breath. "What's wrong? Another nightmare?" he demanded, sounding a bit harsher than he'd intended.

She shook her head slowly, obviously still unfocused. He tried another technique. "Kagome! C'mon, help me out here, _what happened_?"

Blinking, she looked over at him and took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm down. Then she spoke. "I-I didn't really have a nightmare; it was just, I don't know, like flashbacks of the previous two. Just images; no sound. I saw the street where I was being chased the other day, and then...the bodies. Then there was a flash of 'Sinister's' face and I woke up. I have a bad feeling, Inuyasha. I don't want to go back to sleep tonight." She mumbled the last part, knowing what he would say to that particular idea.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kagome. You have to sleep; we may need you tomorrow. Whatever's gonna happen probably _won't_ happen tonight, so try to get some rest; I'll be right here the entire time, I promise." He replied, not as gruff as she'd expected. She knew he was lying about being sure nothing'd happen that night; there was no way he _could_ know. But she let him get away with it this time, anyway.

Slowly, she nodded, but she made no move to lie back down. After a moment, Inuyasha's patience ran out. "Well? Ain't ya gonna sleep? Ya can't sleep sittin' up, you know." She blew out a sigh and locked eyes with him; he nearly flinched. _Uh-oh. I really oughta learn when to shut up._ He thought absently. Still, he didn't look away, he just met her gaze with one of his own.

"I _know_ that, Inuyasha! I'm _scared_, alright? This..._incident_ really has me worried, and I don't want to have another nightmare. They keep getting worse, and I don't want to think about _how_ it could possibly get _worse_! Is that excuse enough for you! You're such a _jerk_ sometimes!" She snapped, her voice rising with each sentence until his ears were flat against his head in an effort to save themselves from her shouts.

"Ok, look, I-I'm _sorry_. I didn't mean to be so harsh that time; I just want you to get enough sleep. I know you won't be able to fight as well without having slept, and if something happens tomorrow, you may _have_ to fight. I don't want you to be scared, even if I understand why you are. I get that the nightmares haunt you; do you honestly think I _like_ that? How the hell am I supposed to protect you from an enemy that only shows his ugly face in your dreams!" He retaliated, being sure to keep his voice low enough so that she couldn't accuse him of yelling at her. He saw her eyes widen and then he could smell salt on the air. A moment later, tears began slowly streaming down her face and then she flung herself at him. He started at first, not expecting _this_ reaction. She was clutching his haori tightly and sobbing into his chest. Again. With barely a pause, he wrapped his arms around her to offer her comfort and support.

* * *

Suddenly, there was pounding on the door. Inuyasha felt Kagome tense in his arms, so he tightened his hold to reassure her. He could smell their scents; and he figured they had heard her shouts and come to help, probably expecting to find a fight going on. With a growl that only Kagome could hear, he released her and stood up, turning to the door just as the lock unlocked itself. The door was half-way open when he stopped it with his clawed hand. "What?" He growled dangerously.

"We heard shouting; is everything all right?" Storm questioned worriedly, her blue eyes flickering in concern. Behind her, Logan took a sniff, shook his head, and turned, heading back to his own room. Ororo and Jean failed to notice this.

Crossing his arms in an effort not to strangle the women in front of him, he replied bluntly, "Everything's fine. Kagome got a little scared and took it out on my ears; no big deal. Good-"

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice traveled to his ears, forever cutting off what he'd been about to say. Spinning quickly, he turned around. Kagome was sitting in the center of the bed and shivering, knees pulled up to her chest. Forgetting about the women on the other side of the doorway, he moved quickly to her side and pulled her into his embrace.

"What is it?" He asked quietly, getting more worried by the second. She didn't reply at first, unsure of how to phrase whatever was still frightening her.

"I-I don't know. I just...have a bad feeling. I'm sorry; you shouldn't have to worry about me so much." She didn't seem to hear the soft _click_ of their door shutting and locking itself as Jean and Ororo came to the conclusion that they were, indeed, not needed. Inuyasha himself barely registered it. Especially when Kagome spoke again. "Inuyasha...could you - maybe - stay with me again? Please? I'm afraid..." She allowed her voice to trail off as more tears threatened to overflow. His arms tightened around her and he subconsciously buried his nose in her neck.

"Don't be afriad; I'd die before I'd let anything happen to you." At the hitch in her breathing, he quickly added, "That ain't gonna happen. I've still got things to do; no bastard called '_Sinister_'is gonna get rid o' me."

"Good. I'm going to hold you to that, buster." she teased, relaxing slightly in his arms and silently revelling in the feel of his lips brushing against her neck as he spoke. Then, suddenly, she was being held in his arms, off the bed. She didn't have to ask what he was doing; she wasn't even truly sure she cared, as long as he didn't let her go.

Inuyasha once again readjusted himself on the bed, pulling Kagome down on top of him and trying not to think about things other than their current situation; which wasn't actually helping, when he thought about it. Her sigh of contentment distracted him a little bit - somehow. In a matter of minutes, she was once again asleep. His chin was resting lightly on the top of her head, and he began subconsciously running his fingers through her long, soft hair. She snuggled closer to him and smiled in her sleep. Once he felt certain that she was sleeping peacefully, he relaxed enough to get some sleep of his own. "Goodnight, Kagome. I love you." he whispered, knowing he was in no danger of being overheard. Shortly after that, he, too, fell asleep.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N:** Ok, there's chapter five...obviously. Hope you liked it; and if you did, don't forget to tell me so!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sadly, this story's almost over. Next chapter is most likely the last one. But let's not be depressing; so, onward!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I **_wish_** I owned Inuyasha and X-Men, but I don't. I'm borrowing.

**Chance Encounters: Chapter 6**

Inuyasha woke the next morning just after sunrise, his arms still securely wrapped around Kagome, the fingers of his right hand still tangled in her raven hair. Judging from her scent, she was still asleep. Then he realized that she hadn't had a nightmare the night before; at least not one that frightened her enough to wake him. For some reason, though, that knowledge did very little, if anything, to calm him. _I don't know why, but somethin' still don't feel right. Her being nightmare-free might be a _bad_ thing. Just what I don't need._ He thought begrudgingly. He briefly considered getting up, but then he thought better of it. He was comfortable, but, more importantly, so was she. So he stayed right where he was until she woke up; nearly two and a half hours later. Surprisingly, he wasn't really bored; he felt..._content_. Which, of course, he decided to ignore.

* * *

Kagome woke slowly around 8:00 am that morning, discovering, much to her surprise, that she was still thoroughly wrapped in Inuyasha's arms. _Don't let yourself think too hard about that one, girl. He was just being protective, he does it all the time. He doesn't actually..._with a shake of her head, she looked up so she could sort of meet his eyes. "Good morning, Inuyasha. I'm sorry again, about last night."

"Keh. Don't apologize, stupid. So you were upset; ain't like you've got no reason to be afraid. How'd you sleep?"

"Great, actually. I didn't have any nightmares last night. You?"

"Fine." He looked away, his gaze fixing on the ceiling, thoughts returning to his earlier contemplations.

"Inuyasha?"

"It's nothin'." pausing, he added, "We got company again."

"I'll get it; if that's ok." When he nodded, he reluctantly released her and she - equally reluctantly - got up and crossed to the door just as someone knocked softly on it. Behind her, Inuyasha stood and returned the Tetsusaiga to its proper place at his hip, and then he crossed his arms and waited.

* * *

Jean was at the door with two more white bath robes and a smile. "Sorry about our intrusion last night; did you sleep well?"

"I slept great, actually; and it's ok, we know you were only worried. I'm sorry I worried you. Thanks so much." She added, taking the robes from Jean once again. Jean nodded, and then finished with a reminder that breakfast would be at 9:30 again, and then she left. Kagome shut and locked the door behind her and turned around, holding a robe out to Inuyasha. He shook his head.

"I don't want to use that 'shower' thing today. If we're still here tomorrow, I'll use it then. You go ahead."

"Suit yourself. I'll be back in a little while; will you still be here when I'm done?" She asked, pausing in the doorway to the bathroom and looking at him over her shoulder.

"Keh, of course I will. Now hurry up." She smiled and shut the door behind her. A few moments later, he heard the water turn on and the 'curtain' being drawn shut. With a sigh of resignation, he plopped down on the floor at the foot of the bed, arms and legs crossed and his eyes shut.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he heard the water shut off and the 'curtain' open again. His ears twitched at the sounds, and he opened his eyes when he heard the door open. Then he mentally scolded himself; he'd forgotten, somehow, what she'd looked like when she'd come out of the 'shower' the morning before. He did his best to hide the hitch in his breathing when she looked at him with a sweet smile lighting up her face. He stood, arms still crossed, waiting for her to speak first.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a shower? It'll feel good; they're soooo relaxing." She added, talking more to herself than to him. He just shook his head and she shrugged her shoulders in surrender. Then she walked over to the dresser and picked up the brush that had been lent to her by Betsy when they'd gone to sleep the first night. Sitting on the side of the bed, she flipped all her hair onto her left shoulder and began running the brush through it while her thoughts wandered to a hundred different places. Inuyasha was watching her intently, though he was trying not to. He gulped silently when his eyes landed on her exposed neck-line, and he had to take a couple deep breaths. _Damn demon instincts. Sometimes they're a real pain._ Trying to disguise his discomfort, he leaned 'casually' against the wall on the side of the dresser. She didn't seem to notice, let alone mind, that he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

* * *

After a few minutes, she'd thoroughly brushed her hair and made sure that no knots remained, and then she placed the brush back on the dresser. With a soft sigh, she glanced around, finally noticing the half-demon that was watching her. She smiled again, a light blush creeping up, but she chose to ignore it. "Is something bothering you?" She asked sweetly, placing her left hand lightly on his bicep.

"Besides the obvious?"

"Yeah; besides that." She replied, never breaking her gaze. He looked away quickly, and when he spoke, his voice held _that_ tone; the one she never understood, but knew she liked.

"No, nothing." _Or everything, however you wanna look at it. DAMNIT!_ He mentally cursed. Her scent told him that she knew he was lying; that something _was_ bothering him. He also had a hunch that she'd drop it this time, fortunately.

"Ok, fine. Just...if you change your mind, I promise I'll listen, ok?" All he could do was nod; anything more than that and he'd probably break. For some unknown reason, she was really getting to him this morning; more than usual, anyway.

_What's wrong with him? He's acting weird this morning. Did I make him uncomfortable last night? I hope not; maybe I should apologize. No, I already did that. But, what then? I wish he'd open up to me more. Inuyasha talk to me, please?_ She sighed in defeat, knowing full well that that probably wouldn't happen. Reluctantly, she dropped her hand and moved to sit back on the bed, waiting patiently for her clothes to be delivered to her. With nothing else to do, she found herself fidgeting with the hem of her robe, realizing that she was sitting in a white robe with _nothing_ underneath and Inuyasha not two feet away, watching her. Or, at least, he had been last time she'd checked.

* * *

They had been sitting in silence for a couple of minutes when Kagome stood and went into the bathroom. She noticed, with mixed feelings, that Inuyasha watched her every step of the way, until she'd shut the door. When she was done, she washed her hands and then glanced in the mirror. She nearly screamed at the reflection she saw behind her; spinning quickly, her hand knocked over the crystal soap holder and it crashed loudly on the floor. Of course, when she turned, there was no one there. She placed her hand over her heart, taking deep breaths to try and steady her breathing. A moment later, the door flew open and Inuyasha was by her side instantly.

"What happened? Are you alright?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, tears in her eyes and still breathing raggedly. She shook her head and he pulled her close again, rubbing her back soothingly and resting his chin on her head again. "What scared you?" He asked softly. He was getting really worried about her.

"I saw...someone else's reflection behind me in the mirror. When I turned, I guess my hand hit the dish. S-sorry I startled you." She explained, not looking at him. She literally _felt_ the protective growl that began in his chest, lightly vibrating her face, which was currently buried in his chest.

"Don't apologize, damnit. _Whose_ reflection did you see?"

Taking a deep breath, knowing he wouldn't like this any more than she did, she told him. "Muso's. Remember, Sinister mentioned him in that nightmare the other night." She felt him tense, the growl intensifying and his arms tightening. A moment later, he had his nose buried once again in the crook of her neck and she felt him take a deep breath, as if trying to calm down. This, of course, thoroughly confused her. "...Inuyasha?" She nearly laughed when his head snapped up so fast he reminded her of child who got caught stealing a cookie after bedtime. Fortunately for him, at precisely that moment, someone knocked on the door, probably with Kagome's clothes.

Inuyasha released her and stalked to the door, yanking it open and trying not to growl at the unsuspecting young woman on the other side. She grinned without a trace of fear; probably used to being growled at in the morning, and held out Kagome's freshly cleaned clothes. "Clothes delivery. Oh, and don't forget, breakfast's in five. See ya then!" Jubilee stated, dumping the clothes in Inuyasha's arms and half jogging away, towards the staircase. He grumbled something and shut the door again. Kagome was standing near the foot of the bed, waiting patiently for her clothes. He handed them to her and then moved to lean against the far wall, never once saying a word. She sighed and shook her head, turning back towards the bathroom. She paused in the doorway.

"Um, Inuyasha, is...is the bathroom..._safe_?" She asked quietly, trying not to think about Muso's face in the mirror behind her. It occurred to her that, though the face had been Muso's, the look in his eyes had been Naraku's. _Great, he really _is_ Naraku reincarnated. Just what we need._ She thought. That was when she noticed the moody half-demon standing beside her. She stepped back to allow him to enter first. He inspected the bathroom thoroughly and then turned to her.

"It's clear. Just dress quickly and don't look in the mirror, ok? An' call if you need me." He instructed, walking out and watching her enter.

"Ok. Thanks." She replied, shutting the door; she decided against locking it. She quickly dropped the robe and began to pull her clothes on, avoiding the mirror at all possible opportunities.

* * *

A minute later, she exited the bathroom, once again dressed in her school uniform. Inuyasha locked eyes with her and she shook her head, a partly forced smile on her face. He scowled and stood up, but let her out the door first. They descended the stairs in silence, avoiding each other's gaze. _What's with him? Or me, for that matter? And why did he bury his nose in my neck - twice?_ She thought in confusion. It didn't take them too long to reach the kitchen, and they took their seats quickly.

"Mornin', ya'll. Anythin' interestin' happen last night?" Rogue asked curiously as she filled their plates with three eggs and a pile of hash-browns.

"Not...really." Kagome paused, sensing the look Inuyasha was giving her, and added, "But, something...sort of happened this morning." That got everyone's attention. When they were all looking at her expectantly, she finished. "Well, in the bathroom this morning, I would've sworn that I saw Muso's reflection in the mirror. But, when I turned around, the room was empty. I'm afraid I broke the soap-dish, though. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, they're cheap and easy to replace. This man, Muso, he's the one Sinister mentioned in your dream the other night, right?" Jean asked.

"Yes."

"Did you pick up on any strange scents in the bathroom, or bedroom, this mornin'?" Logan interrupted, speaking to Inuyasha.

"No."

"Then it must've been an illusion of some sort. Illyana, child, have you sensed anything? Some form of sorcery, perhaps?" Ororo asked.

Illyana shook her head. "No, but it'll be easier for me to determine if I inspect the bathroom." Then, turning to Inuyasha and Kagome, "Do either of you mind if I take a look around?" When they shook their heads, she concluded. "Ok, then we'll go up after breakfast. That cool with you?" They nodded this time and everyone returned to their food; there was nothing more to be said.

* * *

Half an hour later, they'd finished breakfast and Jean and Ororo were beginning clean-up. Illyana turned to Kagome and Inuyasha and smirked. "Ok, guys, lead the way." Kagome turned and began walking towards the stairs, only to stop abruptly when Inuyasha landed in front of her and crossed his arms.

"Ok, fine, _you_ lead the way." Kagome mumbled, slightly aggitated at him.

"Keh." Was all he said. They both ignored Illyana, who was doing her best not to laugh at them, and failing.

A couple of minutes later, they were at the room. Inuyasha opened the door and they walked in. Finding nothing wrong with the scents, he leaned against the far wall and watched. Kagome, wanting to get out of the way, moved and stood next to him. Illyana looked around slowly, eyes focused. She walked into the center of the room, near the foot of the bed and her eyes narrowed slightly. She turned abruptly, as if following something, and slowly walked into the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror. She 'hmph'ed and the mirror began glowing. Without looking away, she called out, "Is this Muso?"

Inuyasha was instantly in motion, and he got there in a second. His growl stopped Kagome cold. "Yeah, that's him alright."

Illyana nodded. "Ok. I'll need you and Kagome to go back and sit on the bed, please." They complied; albiet reluctantly on Inuyasha's part. Once they were situated on the bed, Illyana came out of the bathroom and found the spot near the foot of the bed that she'd found earlier. Then she began glowing for a second, and then, suddenly, her left arm was encased in armor, and she was holding a sword. With barely an effort, she swung the sword straight down and they saw something shatter. Smoke drifted up from the spot on the floor where she'd swung her sword, but it soon vanished. Then Magik turned and began swinging her sword as she headed towards the bathroom. When she got to the door, she stopped swinging and walked in, once again facing the mirror. Then, raising her sword, she stated calmly, "Sorry, pal, but you don't put enchantments on _my_ house. Better find a new entry point!" And then she slashed the mirror in half diagonally. Oddly enough, though, the mirror remained intact. Muso's face, however, _did_ cut. And he vanished like the smoke from a moment before. Turning away, Illyana exited the bathroom and placed her other hand on her hip, a victorious smirk on her face. "Ok, room's clean. No more magic interference. Was there anything else?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Thanks." Illyana shrugged her shoulders and the sword, and armor, vanished in a flash of light.

"No big deal. C'mon, lets go back down stairs." With that, the demonic sorceress exited the room confidently, her blond hair billowing a bit behind her. Inuyasha and Kagome followed a moment later, shutting their door after them.

* * *

The others were waiting for them in the living room. Peter stood when they approached and addressed his little sister. "Is everything well, little snowflake?"

"Now it is. But there was something in the room. It was just a simple enchantment; meant to cast illusion on a chosen surface. I destroyed it; the room should be safe from anything like that from now on. If whoever cast it tries something stronger, I'll probably sense it. Either way, we're safe."

"It makes me uneasy anyway. I do not like the idea of our enemies casting spells on our home. Are you certain there is nothing else?" Ororo asked, concern evident in her voice.

Illyana shook her head. "I'm fairly certain that there aren't any other enchantments in the mansion, but the only way to know for sure would be if I inspected _every inch_ of the institute. That would take a while. It's up to you, though, I suppose."

The X-Men's leader shook her head. "No, that will not be necessary. Though I do prefer to be safe, I would hazzard that there are, indeed, no others. We shall be fine. I am afraid, however, that we may be getting closer to a confrontation. I have a feeling that the situation will reach its climax long before our other teammates return home."

"I been gettin' that same feelin' all day, 'ro. Somethin' in the air outside just don't smell right." Logan stated from where he sat on the couch.

Betsy nodded. "Me, too. My instincts have been screaming at me since I went for my morning jog just before breakfast."

"Then we'd best be on our guard, hadn't we? I agree, though. If it's alright with you, Ororo, I think it would be wise if we stayed together. I don't want anyone going _anywhere_ alone until this is sorted out." Jean spoke, in that no-nonsense tone she'd picked up from her husband. Ororo nodded, having nothing to add.

"Um, what if nothing happens today? I mean, _most _of us don't exactly, y'know, share rooms. Do you want us finding a roommate tonight if nothing happens today?" Jubilee asked hesitantly.

"We will have to deal with that situation when - if - it arises." Ororo decided. Jubilee nodded her head in acceptance. Behind her, Gambit opened his mouth, undoubtedly to make an inappropriate comment that may've gotten him...injured, but his jaw suddenly shut of it's own 'free will' and he decided against it. Fortunately for him, no one else had noticed this.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the day thus far had proven uneventful and they were all getting tired of staying inside the mansion. Jubilee decided to point this out. "Y'know, for a mansion, there's, like, _nothing_ to do around here. At least, not when you people don't wanna watch a movie and won't let me 'blade inside."

"All your movie suggestions today are rather unentertaining for those of us who are properly matured. Wait for Robert to return; then you will have company for 'Dude, Where's My Car?'." Betsy commented, not looking up from the latest issue of 'Vogue'.

"You are not allowed to rollerblade indoors because it tears up the carpets, we have explained this to you. Besides, aren't you too old for such...teenage antics?" Ororo added, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"Don't be ridiculous, Storm, I _am_ a teenager! Ok, so I'm legally an adult; I'm still eighteen, y'know."

"Ain't you always tryin' to convince me that you're _not_ a kid anymore?" Logan countered, grinning knowingly. Jubilee shot him a glare that he'd become immune to years ago and slumped in her seat. There was no way she could win this argument with Logan on their side. He heard her mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'it's not fair', and his grin grew. "You wanna go outside, Jubes? C'mon, then, let's go." He stood and placed his cowboy hat back on his head, striding purposfully towards the door. She followed quickly, nearly skipping in her excitement to get out of the house.

"Logan...?" Jean called.

"Just goin' for a drive, Red. We'll be back in a few, call if ya need us. Gotta get this kid some air 'fore she blows the place sky-high."

The last thing any of them heard as they left was: "Wolvie! I'm _not_ a kid! I'm 18, fer cryin' out loud!"

* * *

Logan just chuckled as they hopped on his Harley. He waited until she'd buckled her helmet and then he backed out of the driveway. Turning right on Greymalkin, he sped through town and then took a back road that he often used to get some air and allow himself to think. Jubilee stayed silent behind him, enjoying the ride and the fresh air, like she usually did after she'd been cooped up too long. After a few minutes, he slowed to a stop and parked the motorcycle near a tree. About 25 feet ahead of them was a cliff. It was a popular spot for them to come and relax. Usually. Jubilee got off first and unhooked her helmet, placing it on her seat. Logan placed his beside it and together they walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down. They stayed silent for a bit, until Jubilee couldn't stand it anymore.

"Thanks for gettin' me outta the house, Wolvie." She said it quietly, knowing his enhanced hearing would pick it up easily.

"No problem, darlin'. I know ya don't like spendin' all day inside."

"We'll have to head back soon, though, won't we?" She asked reluctantly, resting her head on his strong shoulder.

"Yeah. But we don't haveta go back just yet." He replied, looping his arm around her companionably.

"Ok." She mumbled. They stayed like that for a while, lost in their own thoughts. A little bit later, Logan noticed a difference in the scent of the area surrounding them. He tensed just enough for the young woman snuggled against his side to notice and glance up at him. She didn't need to speak to know what was wrong. They weren't alone any more. He heard the rustle behind them before she did, so he stood quickly and pulled her to her feet with him. They both spun around, only to find a young boy inspecting Logan's bike. Jubilee shook her head, and was just about to sit back down, when something in Logan's eyes caught her attention. She watched silently as he approached the poor child.

"You got a problem, boy?" Logan asked gruffly. He didn't know why, but something about this 'kid' didn't sit right with him. The boy looked up and backed a few feet away from the expensive bike.

"No, sir. I was just looking at your motorcycle. I've never seen one so cool-looking. My papa has a Honda, but this is _way_ cooler." The child had nearly black eyes and dark brown hair that fell just past his ears; he was in desperate need of a haircut. He also had four scattered freckles across the bridge of his nose. He couldn't be any older than 10 years. He smiled innocently and said, "Oh, by the way, my name's Chris. Who're you?"

"No one you need to know. Go home, Chris." Logan nearly growled, stepping closer to the boy. Chris suddenly looked a little scared and backed up until he bumped into the tree and couldn't back up any further. Jubilee shook her head and grabbed hold of Logan's right bicep firmly. She knew she wasn't as strong, but she only wanted his attention. He shot her a look over his shoulder and stopped. "What?"

"Let it go. So he was curious; I was worse, remember? You're scaring the poor boy, Logan. He can't be older than ten, there's no need to try to intimidate him." Then, turning to Chris, she said kindly, "He's territorial over his bike. You're pretty far from home, don't you think?"

The boy shook his head fiercly. "No, ma'am, why would you think that?"

Jubilee's eyes narrowed slightly. "You shouldn't lie, it's not a good habit to get into. No one lives within at least three miles of here, that's why I 'think that'. You really ought to go home, Chris."

"I-I don't know the way back home, ma'am. I'm sorry I lied. It's just, I'm lost, and Daddy told me that real men don't admit when they're lost." Chris mumbled quietly, shuffling his feet and not meeting her gaze. Jubilee smiled and bit back the sarcastic comment that flashed across her mind. Releasing Logan's arm, she stepped forward and knelt in front of the young boy.

"It takes a bigger man to admit to being lost, trust me. Can you tell me what street you live on? I know this area pretty well, I'm sure I can help you get home." The child locked eyes with her and she smiled sweetly to make him feel better. That's when she heard Wolverine growling audibly behind her.

A moment later, she was wrapped tightly in...some sort of vine that she couldn't name. 'Chris' was smirking and barely restraining his laughter. When he spoke, his voice wasn't that of a child, but that of a full-grown man. A dangerous man. "How naive you humans are. You'll believe just about anything, especially these days. You should have listened to your feral friend, woman; you may have lived longer." And then the 'boy' began glowing. When the light vanished, a healthy-looking man was in his place. This man had longer, brown hair and frightening, dark eyes. Logan's growling finally caught his attention. "Are you growling at me, old man? How insulting. Perhaps I should kill you now? Or should I make you watch as I slay her, instead?"

"You wanna die _quick_, bub, you'll let her go. You got a problem, take it up with me." Wolverine demanded, fists clenching angrily.

"Don't be absurd. You're in _no_ position to make demands of _me_." And then the villain had the _gall_ to laugh in the volatile X-Man's face. Which, of course, was rather stupid on his part.

With a roar of fury, Wolverine lunged at the man, popping his adamantium claws and aiming straight for the man's heart. Unfortunately, he never connected. Logan bounced off a barrier that was, until that moment, invisible to all senses. The man inside it laughed again and shook his head. "Stupid little human; you cannot penetrate my barrier. You may slash at it all day long; you will not make any progress, little man."

"You'll eat those words when I'm through with you, bub." Wolverine growled dangerously. The man laughed again and then roots similar to what held Jubilee captive were attempting to wrap around him. Wolverine, of course, destroyed them before they succeeded.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N:** Ooooo, the big fight scene has begun! So, R&R, and then go read chapter 7, ok?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** It's here! This is it! The last chapter of my story! I really hope it lives up to expectations!

**Disclaimer:** Nope. Inuyasha still belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and the X-Men still belong to Marvel Comics...not me.

**Chance Encounters: Chapter 7**

Jubilee decided, since there was nothing else she could do, she would go ahead and take advantage of the distraction that Wolverine was causing. _Hang in there, Wolvie. I'll get help._ And then she activated the psychic raport that the X-Men shared, just in case. **_"Jean, Betsy, can one of you hear me!"_**

**_"Loud and clear, Jubilee, what's wrong?"_** Jean's telepathic voice replied a moment later.

Jubilee answered instantly. **_"Wolvie and I are under attack by the cliff. Some guy we've never seen before showed up, disguised as a ten-year-old boy and now I'm trapped in some sort of viney thing while Logan's fighting by himself. Normally I wouldn't think that's a problem, but, the guy has a barrier around himself, so Wolvie can't touch him!"_**

Jean hesitated a moment, finally saying, **_"Don't worry, we're on our way. Do your best not to let on that you've contacted me, ok? And don't panic."_** And then the link was dropped, leaving Jubilee once again alone in her mind. She could only pray they didn't take too long.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Xavier's, Jean's eyes had glazed over during her telepathic conversation. After a moment, she blinked and her vision cleared. Betsy was watching her, having heard the psychic summons, also. She nodded at the British-turned-Asian telepath and they both stood, effectively silencing all side conversations. Jean's eyes were focused and serious, as were Betsy's.

"What is it?" Ororo asked, recognizing their looks and standing to face them.

"I just got a 'call' from Jubilee. She and Logan are under attack. They don't recognize the aggressor, but he's got a barrier that Logan's claws can't penetrate, and she's trapped in some sort of vine, her words. We need to go help. They're at the cliff." Jean informed them quickly. By the time she was done, everyone was standing. Inuyasha's growl got their attention. "What is it?" Jean asked.

"Vines and a barrier? Sounds like Muso. You were right; those bastards are makin' their move." Beside him, Kagome nodded.

"Then we'll need to get you some arrows. Magik?" Jean stated decisively.

"Done." Illyana said simply, and suddenly a bow and a quiver full of arrows matieralized on Kagome's shoulder.

"Everyone get ready. We'll meet back here in two minutes. Magik, will you transport us to the battle?" Storm commanded. The young Russian mutant nodded as her uniform flashed on, sword in hand. Betsy sank into a black hole and reappeared a moment later in uniform as well. Jean's clothes shifted quickly and then she, too, was ready to go. Kitty and Peter ran upstairs to change. Moments later, they literally fell through the floor, landing neatly beside Illyana as Kitty jumped free of Peter's grasp. A bolt of lightening matieralized out of nowhere and struck Ororo, causing her uniform to appear. Since Gambit, Rogue, Inuyasha, and Kagome didn't have to change, they were ready to go.

"Ok, people, let's go." Illyana declared as a stepping disc appeared around them. A moment later, they were whisked away and transported to the battle.

* * *

The man, Muso, was laughing evily as Wolverine fought off the roots attempts to trap him. Jubilee got fed up with sitting back and watching, so she shouted. "Hey! Jerk! Why don't you let me go so I can kick your butt! You scared?"

Muso turned, amused at her antics. "No, woman. I merely don't think you worth the effort of fighting. Far easier, then, to leave you where you are. Do you dislike watching him fight a futile battle? I could kill him now, if that is what you desire."

"Don't you dare, you creep! Wolvie's gonna beat you, it's just takin' a few minutes, is all. Trust me; get him angry enough and _no one_ can stop him."

"Hmm, perhaps. But, tell me, how do I get him that angry? I imagine I'd have to kill you. I suppose I could conisder that. Tell me, how do you want to die?" He asked cruelly, smirking in triumph. Jubilee spat at him in response. He merely flicked it off and smirked wider.

* * *

He failed to notice the glowing spot above him until something destroyed the roots surrounding Wolverine. He spun quickly, unsure of what had attacked him. "What!" He demanded. Logan rolled free just as another lightning bolt struck them.

"You shall not be triumphant in this battle, Muso!" Storm declared, floating between him and Wolverine.

"Ah, you must be Storm. Sinister has told me about each of you. You cannot hope to defeat me; as you cannot _touch_ me."

"Wanna make a bet on that?" Inuyasha's voice threatened as he lept from the stepping disc and unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. Muso's eyes widened in recognition and fear as he jumped backwards, trying to avoid the blood-red sword.

"_Inuyasha_! You won't destroy my barrier so easily!" He hollered, sending a fresh set of roots at him. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he tried to adjust himself in mid-air. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

"Not so fast, Muso!" Kagome's voice echoed as a sacred arrow sliced through the vines and they fell, limply, to the ground before disintegrating.

"Nice shot, Kagome! _Tetsusaiga!_" Inuyasha called, slamming his sword down on Muso's barrier. Muso cried out and moved away just in time to avoid the shattering pieces. Off to his side, Phoenix levitated herself to level with Jubilee.

"Hold still a second, Jubilee. This shouldn't take long." She stated, raising her hand. Suddenly Phoenix was surrounded by a thin layer of flame and the vines ripped themselves apart before burning to dust. Jubilee landed gracefully on her feet and grinned.

"Thanks, Phoenix." Then she turned to the demon that had imprisoned her. "Hey, _jerk_!" She shouted, getting his attention again. Walking forward until only three feet separated them, she flicked her sunglasses down over her eyes, covering her glare. Then, raising her hands, she said lowly, "This is for Wolvie." And she blasted him full-force, her face a perfect mask of indifference; just like Logan had taught her. When she brought her hands down and returned her sunglasses to her head, she added, "And this is for deceiving me like that." Then she hauled back and kicked him where it hurt most. Wolverine walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good moves, darlin'. My turn, now." He mumbled in her ear before walking in front of her and popping the claws on one hand.

He raised his fist and brought it down on Muso, right in his shoulder. The reincarnated demon shrieked in agony; immortal or not, it still hurt like hell to have three adamantium claws temporarily sever your shoulder-bone from your collar bone. In retaliation, he shot a root from that same arm directly into Wolverine's stomach. Of course, thanks to his metal skeleton, it didn't go all the way through, but it still hurt.

"Wolvie! You creep, _back off_!" Jubilee shouted, blasting Muso just as Shadowcat appeared and phased Logan away from the impaling device.

"You gonna be ok, Wolvie?" Shadowcat asked quietly, worried for her good friend and former mentor. Logan grunted and rolled away, prefering privacy to heal. Shadowcat complied and turned her back to him, joining Phoenix and Jubilee. Magik appeared on her other side with a smirk.

"So, you're a demon?" She asked curiously, hands behind her back.

"Of course I am, human wench. And here's proof!" He replied, attacking her. She made a sound that was a lot like _tsk tsk_ and then she held up her soulsword and the roots disintegrated as they touched it. Muso had to leap to the side to avoid the chain reaction that would otherwise have severely injured him.

"Oh, did Sinister not mention me? Gee, what a shame. Well, then it's only fair you know. I'm a _demonic sorceress_. My SoulSword can destroy anything demonic or magical. Y'know, like _you_." She stated nonchalantly. He glared at her.

"What, you got a problem with defeat, bastard? Too damn bad, 'cause I'm gonna tear you apart." Inuyasha stated, coming up on the other side of him. Kagome was slightly behind him, her eyes fierce and determined. Psylocke, Gambit, Rogue, and Colossus joined them, effectively surrounding him. Storm was still hovering above them in the air. Sadly, she made a good target.

* * *

While everyone was focused on the demon that had attacked their friends, no one saw, or sensed, Sinister slip onto the scene. Taking advantage of his temporary 'invisibility', he aimed an attack at the wind-rider hovering in the air above her teammates and fired. She cried out in pain and shock as the laser hit and she fell steadily towards the Earth. He was completely unsurprised when Rogue flew over and caught her, placing her gently on the ground near Logan.

"Storm, gal, what happened?" Rogue asked worriedly, concerned for her friend. Behind her, Muso laughed.

"Too bad you'll never know!" He taunted, trying to keep them from noticing his cohort hiding not too far away. Unfortunately for him, Phoenix honed in on Sinister's thought patterns almost instantly.

"It's Sinister! He's over there, behind those trees!" She instructed, indicating where the vile villain was hiding. A moment later, Sinister's nightmarish cackle reached their ears as he stepped out from his hiding place.

"Hello, X-Men. I see you have some friends with you. How...interesting." He sneered, his fang-like teeth showing dangerously.

"Eeewwww. Has anyone ever told you that you _really_ need to see a dentist?" Jubilee shuddered, placing a hand on her hip. He grinned broader.

"I believe _you_ did when last we met." Then, he abruptly averted his gaze, focusing instead on the young priestess with a bow in her hand. "Ahhh, you must be Kagome. You're even _lovelier_ in person, did you know that? My only real question, of course, is; do you _taste_ as good as you did in your dreams the other night?" His sneer was followed up with a slick tongue tracing over his thin lips maliciously.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat, so that, at first, only Kagome could hear it. She shuddered involuntarily at Sinister's comment and her hand clenched tighter around her bow. Then she got angry. Raising her bow, she notched an arrow and aimed it directly at his heart. "I don't appreciate your sense of humor, Sinister. Are you responsible for our being here?" She demanded threateningly.

Sinister smirked again. "Techinically, yes. It was your friend's idea, though. Did you like your dreams, young priestess?"

"No. You're getting one chance. Surrender _now_."

"I'm afraid not. You see, your plain arrows just don't frighten me. Tell me, do you remember your first dream? Specifically, how it ended?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "Well, allow me to show you what _would_ have happened had it not been a mere dream." He stated, raising his hand again. He released the same attack that had taken Storm down and that he'd used in Kagome's first nightmare.

* * *

Before even Inuyasha could act, Phoenix intervened. With a thought, she threw up a telekinetic force-field that deflected the attack and sent it back at their enemy. Sinister cackled again as he absorbed his attack back into his body.

"Very good, Mrs. Summers. Sadly for you, my own powers cannot harm me. Tell me, how long do you think you can keep up that shield?" He asked, an evil grin crossing his face again.

"She doesn't have to." Kagome stated, releasing her arrow. It was instantly surrounded in a bright pink aura as it flew towards the pale-skinned man. Sinister just stood there, intending to absorb the arrow. No one moved or spoke as they watched it arch towards him.

Just before the sacred aura pierced his chest, he realized that the energy _would_ harm him. His eyes widened and he turned to dodge it a moment too late. The sacred arrow pierced his chest anyway, though thanks to his actions it missed his heart. He screamed in agony and clutched his chest, collapsing to his knees while his body began trying to repair the gaping whole in his chest.

"I-impossible! How did you-?" He choked out. The X-Men's eyes immediately turned to Kagome.

**_"It'll be up to you to defeat Sinister; we'll help where we can, but most of our abilities are useless against him. How can we kill Muso?"_** Phoenix declared in Kagome and Inuyasha's minds.

**_"Killin' Muso ain't gonna be easy. If you can get him an' Sinister together, I might be able to take 'em out. What d'ya say, Kagome?"_**

**_"What are you proposing, Inuyasha?"_**

**_"Remember how we killed Hyoga?"_** He smirked and she nodded, recalling easily how they'd slain the powerful demon.

**_"Then we'll work on that. X-Men, take them down!"_** Storm's mental command resonated throughout their minds and only then did they notice that she and Wolverine were both back on their feet. The X-Men, Inuyasha, and Kagome nodded simultaneously and turned to face their opponents. Sometime during the melee, Muso had crawled away from his 'captors' and was standing beside Sinister, who'd managed to climb back to his feet, though he still had a small whole in his chest. They took that as a good sign.

* * *

Phoenix, Rogue, and Storm took to the sky above their teammates; Wolverine and Inuyasha on either end of the group, Kagome beside Inuyasha and Jubilee beside Wolverine. Colossus was in the center, Shadowcat on one side, Magik on the other; Gambit was beside Jubilee and Psylocke beside Kagome. Storm's eyes narrowed and nearly-black clouds matieralized overhead and a loud, dangerous, thunderclap sounded above them. Lightning was flowing through the clouds, and then, suddenly, it struck the ground in front of Muso and Sinister. Raising her arms skyward, she spoke, her voice carrying on the wind, sounding more like an echo. "Whatever you have planned, it will not come to pass. This ends _now_!" And then she swung her right arm forward and a bolt of lightning shot forth, forcing Muso and Sinister to jump to either side. The X-Men took their leader's hint and surged forward as one.

Inuyasha raised his Tetsusaiga and slashed through Muso's newest barrier before it had even truly been erected. Phoenix telekinetically grabbed hold of the roots that were popping out of the ground around her teammates and friends and crushed them in her firey grasp. Colossus smashed through some that had tried to form a wall; Rogue doing the same a few feet to the side. As Muso moved to hide behind the trees, Gambit tossed four cards, fully charged, and they connected solidly with the demon's torso, knocking him to his knees. As the demon began to regrow his missing body-parts, Psylocke appeared behind him. She pulled him up by his hair and shoved her fist, psychic-knife exposed, into his temple without hesitation or remorse. He screamed in agony as she twisted it around before she released him and dropped her fist to her side. Muso slumped to the ground, writhing in pain. Magik walked calmly over and stood over him, opposite of Psylocke. With a small grin, she raised her soulsword. His eyes opened just in time to see the demonic sword swinging down on him. He didn't have time, let alone energy, to put up a barrier. When her sword had sliced completely through him, he screamed again and then his flesh disintegrated, leaving only his skeleton in his place.

* * *

Meanwhile, the others were focused soley on Sinister, who was putting up a better resistance than his companion. He was firing lasers at anyone who came within range, connecting sometimes, missing others. He aimed a blast at Jubilee and Wolverine, who were running towards him, intent on double-teaming him, but the feral mutant saw it and grabbed hold of the young firecracker, pulling her down beneath him. The blast passed harmlessly over them, destroying a tree a short ways away. "Thanks." Jubilee muttered, blushing from the close contact. He just grinned and helped her to her feet before they turned back to their target once more.

"Y'know, shooting at mah friends ain't exactly a way t' thrill me, sugah." Rogue drawled, flying at Sinister with her fists out. Sinister shot at her a couple of times and then dodged her physical attack when her eyes shut to avoid the blasts. Unfortunately for him, he landed not two feet from Colossus and Shadowcat. Sinister looked up enough to see steel legs and blue tights and tried to roll away.

Colossus' hand came down and lifted up the evil man, so they were eye-to-eye. "_Nyet_, comrade, you shall not escape us." And then he tossed the villain back onto the ground. Sinister made to get up, when he was suddenly lifted up by a small tornado and spun enough times to make him want to puke. Then he was unceremoniously dropped back down.

"I had believed that you were smarter than that, X-Men. Restoring me to my own two feet enables me to do _this_." And he leveled a laser blast at them, as they'd all gathered around. Only then did he notice his own mistake when he saw the priestess with another arrow notched on her bow. As his attack returned to him via Phoenix's telekinetic shield, he turned to the young Japanese woman. Hands

outstretched, he sent another blast at her.

"Bad move, bastard." Inuyasha growled, stepping in front of Kagome and raising his Tetsusaiga. A wind instantly picked up and Sinister heard two words that held no meaning to him, though he had a bad feeling about them. "_Backlash Wave!_" Just as the sword's technique began racing towards Sinister's attack, it was joined by a bright pink sacred arrow. All Sinister could do was watch as the two attacks combined with his own and together they flew back at him. He knew instantly that he'd be unable to absorb this one.

"Congratulations, X-Men. It shall be a while before you see me again." He stated a moment before the attacks hit. When the smoke cleared afterwards, he was gone. They had won.

* * *

"_Sweet_! We won!" Jubilee's happy shout reached her teammate's ears and many smiled in overall agreement with their friend's statement. "That was some pretty cool sword-work, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha grinned cockily and sheathed his sword. "That wasn't too hard. Wish Naraku was that easy." Beside him, Kagome nodded, replacing her bow on her shoulder.

"Ya'll are pretty good fighters. Nice job." Rogue commented, coming to land on the ground beside Gambit with a hand on her hip.

"Now that that's done, I'm hungry. Can we all go home yet, Storm?" Magik asked, standing beside her best friend.

"Yes. There is no other reason for us to remain. Logan, Jubilee, will you be taking the motorcycle home?"

"No one else is gonna drive, 'ro. We'll catch up."

"Very well." Then, turning to Illyana, she said, "Take us home, child." With a nod, the stepping disc appeared underneath them and they vanished instantly.

"Time ta go, Jubes." Logan stated, turning to face the young woman standing nearby. She nodded with a smile, clearly thrilled with their victories that afternoon. He grinned, shook his head slightly, and headed towards his bike. Jubilee followed him silently, her mind racing a million different directions. Logan handed her her helmet, which had fireworks splattered over the back and her name engraved on the bottom. It had been her birthday present a couple of years ago. She took it and quickly buckled it underneath her chin, watching him swing onto the back. Once he was on, she swung on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. An instant later, the custom-made Harley was roaring to life beneath them and they were off, taking the long way back home.

* * *

The rest of the X-Men, and guests, appeared in the living room and then many disappeared to change out of their uniforms. After a couple of minutes, everyone was back in the living room and they were resting, recuperating from the fight. Though they'd won, it had still taken a toll on some of them. There was a long silence as they all contemplated what had happened, and what may still happen. Jean, Betsy, and Ororo took up one couch; Illyana, Peter, and Kitty another. Rogue and Remy were occupying a loveseat; Inuyasha and Kagome sitting on the other. Lockheed chose that moment to fly downstairs and join them, landing on his mistress' shoulders and cooing. "Hey, Lock." She mumbled, scratching his ears gently and earning an appreciative lick for her efforts.

About ten minutes later, they heard the distinct rumble of Logan's Harley pulling into the driveway and parking in the garage off to the side. A few moments later, Jubilee and Logan walked into the mansion. Jubilee flopped down on the remaining couch while Logan headed straight for the fridge. He came back out, a beer in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. He handed Jubilee the water and took a seat on the couch, slicing off the top of his bear bottle and downing it in three gulps.

"A little early for a beer, don't you think, Logan?" Jean asked rhetorically. He grinned as he put the now-empty bottle on the table beside the couch.

"Not if it don't do anything to ya, Red. Take _a lot_ more'n one beer to get me drunk." His grin broadened as she shook her head in surrender.

* * *

While the X-Men were slowly beginning to talk amongst themselves, Inuyasha lost himself in thought; not for the first time that day. With a sideways glance at the woman beside him on the 'loveseat', who was talking to Kitty, he sighed quietly and shifted his gaze to the ceiling above him. _If Muso and that other guy were the reason we're here in the first place, then why the hell ain't we been sent home yet? Is there somethin' else goin' on that we don't know about? Or that Kagome ain't mentioned? DAMNIT! I hate this! I want to get home; where I know how to deal with things an' where I _know_ I can keep Kagome safe. I don't know what's goin' on here; nice as these people've been, I don't know 'em. I don't know if I can trust anyone around here. How the hell am I supposed to protect her if I'm as stuck an' unaware as she is? Damnit to _hell_ this is really startin' to _piss_ me off!_ He growled frustratedly and forced himself to take a deep breath before he did something stupid. Of course, his actions had caught Kagome's attention.

"Inuyasha, you ok?"

"I'm fine." He growled, not meeting her gaze. She wasn't so willing to ignore his lie this time.

"No, you're obviously _not_ 'ok', so tell me what's wrong?" She demanded, placing her hand on his shoulder. He ignored her, his eyes shut. She took a deep breath and said, "Listen, if something's bothering you, you'll feel better after you've talked about it, alright? I just want to help. Please, tell me."

"No." He said bluntly, standing quickly, forcing her to release him. Without glancing back at her, or meeting anyone's gaze, he strode purposefully towards the door, intent on heading for the trees outside. At this point everyone was silent, watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. They didn't have to wait long.

Kagome stood, aggrevated at his rude behavior, a dangerous look in her eyes that Inuyasha couldn't see. Taking another deep breath, she ground out, "Inuyasha, _sit_ boy!" And then the rosary around his neck flashed pink and he was suddenly face down on the floor, unable to stand. Those that were unaware of this trick gasped in shock; those that hadn't witnessed it first-hand found themselves trying not to laugh. Those that had seen it before were having a harder time not laughing than the others.

* * *

At the precise moment Kagome told Inuyasha to 'sit', the front doors opened wide and Scott Summers and Professor Charles Xavier bore witness to Inuyasha's least favorite moment of the day. There was a silence that descended on the room from all but the two misplaced travelers. Kagome stalked forward, not yet registering the newcomers, hands on hips. She stopped once she was standing beside him and staring straight at him. They all heard him grumble something derogative and the gathered super-heroes flinched. Her eyes opened wide and her voice spat venom. "I can't believe you, sometimes! Just, _SIT_ already! You're such a jerk!" She declared, tears forming, unbidden, in her eyes. With a final glare his way, she spun around, about to walk away, when she noticed them. A bright blush invaded her cheeks and she bowed her head politely. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! My name's Kagome Higurashi; it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Like hell it is!" the half-demon grumbled, mistakenly attempting to right himself.

"Sit, boy." She said calmly. She bowed again to the men whose names she didn't yet know, and then she quickly turned and ran upstairs, the tears finally falling down her face. Silence stretched until they heard the door slam shut. Then Jean stood.

"Welcome home. Sorry you had to come home to that; it seems they had an argument. How was your trip?" She asked, crossing the living room and allowing herself to be enveloped in her husband's arms.

"It went well, Sweetheart. Are these the people you told me about?" Scott replied, placing a loving kiss on her temple.

"Yes. This is Inuyasha; you've already met Kagome." As they spoke, Inuyasha stood, albiet slowly, and brushed himself off. He took a defensive step backwards as the bald man in the fancy chair moved towards him.

"My apologies, friend. I am Professor Charles Xavier. You must be Inuyasha. It's a pleasure to meet you. My companion is Scott Summers." He indicated the tall man beside him with a wave of his hand.

"Charles and Scott aren't your enemies, Inuyasha. You can relax." Jean coaxed, recognizing his stance.

"Keh. Yeah, right. Look, nothin' personal, but I got things t'do." He stated, turning around and jumping up the stairs. He was out of sight in two leaps. Only Logan heard the door shut when he'd reached his destination.

"Come, have a seat. We'll fill you in on what you've missed." Jean stated, taking a seat on the previously occupied loveseat. The doors shut behind them as Scott sat beside her and Charles manuvered his hover-chair to the other side of the small sofa. Once everyone was ready, she began the story.

* * *

Upstairs, Kagome was face-down on the bed, her face buried in a pillow and her body heaving with the effort of trying to restrain her sobs. She never even heard the door open, let alone close, as Inuyasha entered the room. The smell of salt assualted his nose and he nearly recoiled; but he knew he had to apologize, since it was his fault she was crying. Again. _Damnit, how the hell do I always manage to make her cry when all I'm really doin' is worryin' about her? I'm gonna have to calm down if I expect her to listen to me; damn it all to hell._ Taking a deep breath, he strode to the bed and paused, contemplating what his next move should be. Finally, he shoved his pride aside and crawled next to her. She stiffened instantly, though not in fear; she knew it was him, she'd been expecting him to come and yell at her for all those 'sit' commands. Why he felt he had to be _on_ the bed to yell at her, she didn't know.

_Maybe he figures that it won't hurt as much this way if I 'sit' him aga-._ Her thoughts trailed off when his surprisingly gentle voice met her ears.

"Kagome, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bitten off your head like that. Please don't cry." He pleaded, amazed he'd actually said it the way he'd intended to that time, since his words usually sounded worse once spoken. To prove to her that he meant it, he lightly placed his clawed hand on the small of her back and rubbed gently, soothingly. He noticed with satisfaction that she relaxed automatically with his touch. She was silent for a few moments, focusing on his words and the motions of his hand; which were actually thoroughly confusing her, but they felt great.

After a minute or two of silence, she finally spoke, turning her face towards him so he could better hear her. "It's...ok. I mean, I should've known that you wanted to figure it out for yourself and that you'd just get angry if I pushed. I'm sorry, too, Inuyasha. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Keh, don't be ridiculous. 'Course not; I'm built harder'n you, remember?" He reminded her for the umpteenth time, leaning forward and wiping the remains of her tears off of her cheeks. He lost himself in her eyes for a moment and accidentally let his knuckles graze the side of her face a bit longer than he'd intended. He didn't snap out of it until she slightly inclined her head towards his hand.

He blinked rapidly a moment, re-focusing on reality and nearly yanked his hand away when hers came and held it were it was. He froze, eyes shifting to lock on with hers. Her eyes were filled with emotion; an emotion that, though he recognized it, he couldn't bring himself to believe it was really there. She smiled, her eyes shining, and she sat upright on the bed, reluctantly releasing his hand. The look that flashed across her eyes as she let go of his hand and tried to avert her gaze before he could see caused something to snap inside of him, and he quickly reached out and pulled her into his lap, once again burying his nose in the crook of her neck. The difference this time was that he _knew_ what he was doing, and though the stubborn part of him refused to believe he'd seen what he'd seen, he recognized the look all the same; he'd had it himself many times before. And he was tired of pretending that he didn't care even _half_ as much as he did. "Kagome." He murmered, his lips once again brushing her neckline. After a moment's hesitation, she slipped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, holding on tight.

Kagome was too afraid that he'd push her away again if she spoke, so she stayed silent, waiting for him to do something. She had no problems with being held like this, even though she feared that his eventual rejection would only hurt more in the long run. That day was still a far ways away, so she pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on the feel of his arms around her waist, his lips grazing her neck as he whispered her name so quietly she could barely hear him. Her eyes drifted shut as her body relaxed in his arms. She didn't even realize that one of her hands had strayed until it was too late. She began rubbing one of his ears absent-mindedly; not registering this action until a moment or two after she'd started it. She paused, telling herself to pull her hand away, when Inuyasha's voice reached her ears again. "You don't have to stop, Kagome. I don't mind; I never have." Her hand instantly returned to what it had been doing and she snuggled closer, somehow, than she had been a moment ago. Inspiration struck her, and she suddenly considered that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't pull away if she spoke. Making a decision, she spoke softly, hoping that her tone would encourage him.

"I don't understand, Inuyasha. Why...why are you holding me like this?" She made sure not to move in any way that would mistakenly cause him to think she was uncomfortable in any way. Inuyasha was silent for a moment, just long enough to cause Kagome to worry that she'd made a mistake and ruined whatever was happening between them. Then he spoke, his voice equally soft.

"I've always wanted to hold you like this. I've just never been able to bring myself to. Or to tell you what I'm about to tell you." He paused, praying he wasn't about to ruin his future, and then he said, "I love you, Kagome. I have for a long time, now." He heard her breath catch in her throat, felt her body freeze much like his had earlier, and his heart stopped, his life hanging on her reply.

She couldn't believe what she'd just heard; what he'd just said. To her. She forced herself to release the breath she'd been holding, and then she replied, a smile in her voice and a tear in her eye, "I love you, too, Inuyasha. So much."

Inuyasha allowed himself to breathe again, knowing his gamble had paid off. One thing still bothered him, though. Pulling back enough to look into her eyes, he asked, "Then why're you still crying?" Kagome laughed softly and smiled up at him. "They're happy tears, Inuyasha. Nothing to worry about."

"Good." He stated, grinning for an instant before he leaned in, his lips descending on hers for the first time. She reacted instantly, tightening her arms around his neck and allowing him to pull her closer. She nearly gasped when she felt his tongue tracing her lips teasingly. Knowing what he wanted, and wanting it herself, she opened her mouth obligingly and moaned, leaning into him, when their tongues collided for the first time. _Thank goodness I'm sitting down already._ She thought. _God, that's _so_ cliche_. Her thoughts were distracted as one of his hands came up to support the back of her head so he could deepen the kiss. She complied without hesitation. Feeling adventurous, she slipped her tongue into his mouth and lightly traced his fangs. He growled contentedly in response; she thought it sounded more like a type of purr. She slipped her hand up to massage his ears once again and his content growl returned for a moment. She decided to keep that in mind for later use.

Eventually, they parted, both breathing raggedly. Wondering why she'd been so worried about rejection, she collapsed against him, revelling in the new sensations he was providing. She felt him nuzzle her neck again and she sighed happily. She gasped as his tongue came into contact with her bare skin, caressing the crook of her neck gently, enticingly. After a moment, his tongue vanished from her neck and she felt him nuzzle her once more before pulling back again. She met his gaze calmly, her eyes smiling brightly. He smiled back briefly before speaking.

"We've got a lot to discuss, you know. There're a couple of things that I need to explain to you. I'd rather not have that conversation 'til we're somewhere...we know. Is that ok?"

She nodded. "Of course it is. Whatever you have to say, say it where you're most comfortable. Don't force anything, Inuyasha. I can wait. Promise me something, though." When he nodded, she got a serious look and she said, "Don't ever leave me, alright? I don't think I could live without you."

He nodded again, knowing exactly what she meant; it was exactly how he felt. "You don't have to worry about that, Kagome. I couldn't live without you, either, and I'd never leave you alone in this world. Your era's no safer than mine these days." The last part was said with a grin, and she chuckled, nodding her head.

"It sure seems that way."

"C'mon, I think we may have a way home, but we have to go downstairs first. Think you're fit for public company?" He teased lightly, cupping her face with his hand one more time before he stood. He waited patiently by the foot of the bed as she slid off and joined him. Together they exited the room for what they hoped was the last time.

* * *

The X-Men were talking amongst themselves in the living room still when Inuyasha and Kagome entered. Logan had smelled them coming and knew instantly what had gone on between them, but he neglected to comment or otherwise acknowledge that he knew. It wasn't his business. Charles, Jean, and Betsy were the next to notice their arrival. Jean smiled kindly and greeted them.

"I hope you resolved everything?"

"Yeah, everything's been worked out. Sorry about the specatcle earlier." Kagome replied, blushing in embarrassment.

"You have nothing to apologize for; far worse has gone on inside this house." Charles stated kindly, extending a hand. "We were not properly introduced, my dear Miss Higurashi, I am Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Kagome shook his hand with a smile and Scott spoke up. "I'm Scott Summers, co-leader of the X-Men."

* * *

After everything had been cleared up, Scott spoke. "I hear you could use a lift back to Japan?"

"Yes, actually. We'd really like to go home." Kagome replied, hope lighting up her eyes again.

"Well, it just so happens that we have a jet full of fuel; how about we take you home." Scott offered, standing up. Kagome and Inuyasha stood after him, as did Jean, Logan, and Jubilee. Jean glanced over at them, curious.

"Got business to take care of in Japan, figured we'd catch a ride." Logan stated nonchalantly. Scott sighed.

"Fine, Logan, go get your things. If you're not ready to go in ten, we're leaving without you." He decided, heading to the elevator. Jean, Inuyasha, and Kagome followed while Logan and Jubilee ran upstairs to grab their bags. The other X-Men called out their 'farewells' to their new friends, some waving good-bye, some not.

* * *

Eight and a half minutes later, the Blackbird was airborne and its six occupants were settled in for an uneventful--with any luck-- plane ride. Cyclops was in uniform in the pilot's seat, Phoenix beside him in the co-pilot's chair. Both were about as relaxed as they ever got when flying the jet, occasionally checking the navigation equipment to make sure that they were still on course. Inuyasha and Kagome sat next to each othe in the seats behind Cyclops and Wolverine and Jubilee sat together behind Phoenix. The first half of the trip was relatively quiet. After a couple of hours, however, Inuyasha began to get restless. He shifted a few times in his seat, tugging lightly at the strap that was restraining him. He really wanted to be back on his side of the well, where he felt comfortable. Though he wasn't in the mood to deal with their friends just yet; he wanted more time with Kagome first, to talk about things that really needed to be said. Kagome's hand fell comfortingly onto his knee and he stopped shifting, glancing over at her. She smiled reassuringly and then adjusted herself so that she was leaning on his shoulder instead. "Mind if I nap?" She asked quietly. He shook his head, relaxing a bit once more. Soon she was asleep, catching up on some of the sleep she missed during the past two nights.

The others were watching silently, each returning to their own business after it seemed obvious that Kagome was, indeed, sleeping. Jubilee leaned back in her seat with a soft sigh. Logan arched an eyebrow curiously at her and she grinned sheepishly. Then she took a cue from the young Japanese girl two seats away and laid her head on Logan's shoulder. "Hold still, Wolvie, I'm tired." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around his bicep and letting her eyes drift shut. He leaned back, his head falling against the headrest on his seat.

"You're tired? Or bored?"

"Prob'ly bored. Wake me when we land, ok?"

"Sure, darlin'." He replied quietly, shutting his own eyes to catch some sleep.

Phoenix glanced sideways at her husband and smiled. **_"Looks like our traveling companions are all asleep, Sweetheart."_**

_**"It sure looks that way, Hon. Anything on your mind? No pun intended."**_

**_"Not really, I was just making conversation, Mr. Summers."_** Phoenix stated, chuckling slightly.

**_"Just checking, Mrs. Summers."_** Cyclops replied, grinning a bit. Phoenix returned her gaze out the windshield, but her focus was anywhere but on the scenery. She could sense the difference between Inuyasha and Kagome; their new closeness. She didn't know them all that well, but a telepath could always sense these things. She was happy for her newest friends. She was also glad that the threat seemed to be over; she doubted they'd have had such a peaceful flight if someone was still after them.

* * *

Hours later, Cyclops landed the Blackbird in a meadow in the middle of a park near Higurashi Shrine. Making sure the cloaking device was still on, he unbuckled and stood, as did Phoenix. "Ok, people, rise and shine. We're here." Wolverine and Jubilee woke instantly, as did Inuyasha. Kagome woke slowly. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes to clear them and stretched, yawning simultaneously.

"We're here?" She repeated.

"Yes. Higurashi Shrine is only half a mile from here." Phoenix explained helpfully as the door to the jet opened and fresh air filled the cabin.

"C'mon, Kagome, I can smell that 'school' o'yours; I know how to get us home." Inuyasha stated, standing up and helping her do the same. With a smile, she turned to the four gathered X-Men.

"Thank you for your help through all of this."

"It was nothing. If you're ever in need of our help again, please don't hesitate to call. You have our number, right?" Jean asked. Kagome nodded. "Good. Well, then, until next time. Be careful and good luck."

"You, too. All of you. Come on, Inuyasha, I want to go home." She stated, turning to the man she loved with a smile. He grinned and knelt down, his back to her.

"Get on, then. It'll be quicker this way." She waved politely and climbed onto his back. He stood, adjusted her weight, gripped hold of her thighs firmly and nodded at their audience. Then, with a leap, they were gone, on their way back to her shrine and through the well. Shortly after their departure, Logan and Jubilee grabbed their bags and hopped off, too. Logan started up the bike he'd put in the cargo hold and they drove off. Moments after that, Cyclops and Phoenix started up the Blackbird again and took off, headed back to Xavier's.

* * *

It took five minutes, give or take, for Inuyasha and Kagome to reach her family shrine. He paused, waiting for her to tell him where to go. Her decision surprised him. "Through the well. They don't know that I came back, and Mom'd only worry if we tried explaining it, let's just go back. Then you can tell me whatever it is you wanted to earlier."

"If you say so." He stated, leaping towards the well-house. In a matter of seconds, they were once again in Feudal Japan. Inuyasha paused at the bottom of the well and sniffed twice. Satisfied that no one was waiting for them nearby, he jumped out and headed straight for the sacred tree. Once they were on a sturdy branch, he swung Kagome around so that she was in his arms and not on his back, and then he settled against the tree. She adjusted herself a bit until she was comfortable and then looked at him expectantly. He took a deep breath and began what could be an uncomfortable conversation.

"Has Sango told you anything about how demons mate?"

"A little. It hasn't really come up, though."

"Ok, then I'll explain it. After I'm done explaining this, Kagome, I want you to think about something for me, ok?" When she nodded, he continued, "Dog demons, all canine demons, mate for life. I'm sure you've heard that before. Once a demon chooses a mate, he'll never so much as consider another woman, no matter her blood-line, in a similar manner as the woman he chooses to be with. That's why it's such a big deal. The thing is, demon's don't usually have mating _instincts_ unless his heart has already chosen her. In my case, whether or not you believe me, I'd never thought about _mating_ with Kikyo while we were together. Not once. The truth of it is, when it comes to you, I've thought about it _a lot_. I want to take you as my mate; I want to be with you for as long as I live. Which brings me to my next point. In the case of a demon, or half-demon, mating a human--a mortal--something...odd happens. You see, since a demon is immortal, and half-demons are pretty damn _near_ immortal, and most demons mate for life, a demon who chooses a human would die in every way except physically if his mate died before him. Therefore, when a demon mates a human, the human becomes as immortal as the demon they've mated with. In the case of my mother, since my father was killed before her natural life-span was over, she died at a mortal age. Had my father lived, she would still be here, too. Does any of this make sense so far?" She nodded again, and her scent told him she wasn't lying. Taking another deep breath, he continued again. "There is...another catch, though. In our case, if we were to mate, there is the possibilty that we'd have human pups. We'd have pups with demonic powers, too, and they'd probably live as long as a half-demon, but, the human pups...they'd live mortal lives. Unless, of course, they mated a demon. Now that I've said everything I needed to, I have a question that I have to ask you-."

"_Yes_, Inuyasha. I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is yes. I understand what you're saying; I know you're warning me that I'll probably out-live some of our children, and I know that'll be hard, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. They would still get the chance to _live_, and we could make the most of that. More importantly, we could do it _together_. We could _be_ together. That's what I want. More than anything."

He smiled at her smile, and bent down to kiss her lovingly. After a moment, he drew back. "Thank you, Kagome. I promise I'll make it worth it."

"I know you will." She replied, kissing him again, more passionately this time. He returned it equally, inwardly amazed that she'd accepted, and he knew he'd never regret this day. Or forget it. He deepened the kiss, tightening his grip around her, and reveled in the feel of her in his arms.

Right then, however, the scent of human blood and two demons nearby reached his nose and he growled in frustration. Kagome pulled back, confused and curious. He took a deeper breath and cursed under his breath. "Damnit!"

"What?"

"Demons. Let's go, Kagome. We've got work to do."

With a sigh, she nodded. "Ok." Then they were off, Inuyasha racing towards the village, Kagome in his arms. They stopped by Kaede's to grab a spare bow and some arrows, then they headed to other side, where they would find the demons. Half way there, Kagome realized with a start that there were two Sacred Jewel Shards to be had in this fight. Relaying the information to Inuyasha, he picked up speed. They landed on a hut just in time to hear _"Hiraikotsu!"_ echo through the air, as the big boomerang sliced through one of the demons. They saw the other demon plunge it's claws into the dead demon's chest moments before it fell.

"He just absorbed the other demon's Jewel Shard!"

"Then he has two. No big deal. You ready?"

"You know it." She stated, notching an arrow and planting her feet firmly on the roof-top. With a nod in her direction, Inuyasha leapt off the hut, aimed straight for the demon. He smirked as Kagome's arrow sped past him and pierced the demon's shoulder. It hollered in pain and spun, intent on eliminating the cause of his pain.

"I don't think so, demon!" Then, unsheathing his Tetsusaiga, he added with a smirk, "Wind Scar!" In a flash, the demon was nothing but bones. Inuyasha returned to the roof and picked up Kagome, landing beside the demon's remains. With a small shudder, she stepped forward and scooped up the shards, which instantly purified with her touch.

* * *

"Kagome! Inuyasha! You're back!" Shippo's young, happy voice cried as he flung himself at his surrogate mother. She caught him with practiced ease, a smile lighting up her face.

"Shippo! It's so good to see you again! I'm sorry I didn't bring you anything this time." Kagome said apologetically. Shippo curled into her arms, blaming Inuyasha for her abscence and his lack of treats. "Now, Shippo, it's not his fault that I wasn't able to bring you anything."

"What do you mean, Kagome? Is everything alright?" Sango asked, walking up, Kilala at her feet. The small two-tail mewed cutely in greeting.

"We'll explain everything, but first, I'm starved. What's for dinner?" Kagome asked, shaking her head as Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and handed him to Sango before he picked her up and made a simple declaration.

"We'll meet ya at Kaede's." Then he took off. As soon as they were out of sight of their 'friends', he stopped and kissed her firmly for a moment before leaping onto the roof-tops so as to beat the others to the old priestess' hut. They got there about 30 seconds before the others, Kaede served up stew, and they all gathered around the fire while Kagome and Inuyasha explained what had happened on the other side of the well. Their friends stayed silent through the whole story. What shocked them most was the end of it. When Inuyasha informed them that he and Kagome were together and he didn't want to hear one joke about it. This last comment was, of course, directed at Miroku the lecherous monk. Shortly after all this, the group settled in for the night. The last sound anyone heard that night was a firm, unyielding--and undoubtedly painful--slap. Inuyasha snorted and muttered something about a stupid monk. Kagome sighed and rolled towards him. He wrapped an arm around her and buried his nose in her hair. They fell asleep like that, and slept peacefully the whole night through.

**The End**

**A/N:** That's that. I really hope you liked it. Please don't forget to R&R. Thanks to all of you who read the entire thing...hope it wasn't disappointing.


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